


The House that Love Built

by MoonlitMidnight



Series: Coming Home [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst and Romance, Childhood Trauma, Domestic Fluff, F/F, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Fluff, Female Friendship, Forgiveness, Gay Panic, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Meddling Kids, Multi, Polyamory Negotiations, Pre-Poly, Self-Discovery, Self-Hatred, Self-Reflection, Women Being Awesome, World Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:46:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 55,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22723417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonlitMidnight/pseuds/MoonlitMidnight
Summary: Snippets of Regina's life before Emma found her again.OrHow Regina met her family.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Henry Mills, Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Original Character(s), Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Wicked Witch of the West | Zelena, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Coming Home [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1634008
Comments: 29
Kudos: 75
Collections: 5 stars





	1. Camila

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm so excited to share this! I feel like i've been working on it forever. I can't wait to explore Regina's life before the start of About Time. There's so much to unpack that I feel would only muddle the main story of About Time, so I brought it here. I hope you enjoy!

Regina Mills hated airplanes with a burning passion.

A fact she had not had the chance to realize until she essentially spent 6 months straight bouncing from airplane to airplane to venturing to what felt like every European country. Apparently, being suspended midair inside of what was essentially a metal casket for hours on hours triggered memories of her mother’s torment. A facet of her trauma (which she was only recently began to call _trauma_ ) that she had not anticipated.

Regina hadn’t slept properly in months. She wanted nothing more than to return to her bed and lay in it for a week straight. But that wasn’t a possibility.

France was the last stop, or so Regina told herself. The initial plan had been to go across Europe for 6 months, rest somewhere in America for maybe1 and a half, then go to Asia. But as she trudged through the airport, her back aching as she carried along the single backpack that carried her most precious belongings (and how pathetic was that?—that all of her prized possession fit into a backpack small enough for a child) she could feel the bone-deep exhaustion begin to settle. She wasn’t sure how much longer she would be able to do this.

At first, the idea of going on an adventure completely alone sounded perfect.

With Henry safe at college and Zelena giving her regular updates about her life and Rosalie’s it seemed the only natural next step. Regina didn’t really have anyone else to check in with so—with her two most important family members covered and busy presumably for the next few years— it made perfect sense to go about this journey alone. More time to think _honestly_ , to investigate the hidden depths of the Regina she _knew_ was somewhere in there and to live a life that was authentically hers—not Cora’s daughter’s, not the woman she’d been forced herself to become after her marriage to Leopold, and not as anyone’s mother. Just Regina.

She was beginning to regret that decision now. Being alone came with its own complications, most of which Regina could deal with but a few which unsettled her to the point of almost making her return to Storybrooke. She hadn’t been alone for the majority of her life, only a handful of years before Henry came into her life but even then she hadn’t really been ‘alone.’ She’d had Graham to warm her bed and others when he wasn’t available or whenhe was unwilling.

Yet here she was, irrevocably and utterly alone and unsure of what to do with herself.

As she passed a kiosk selling assorted travel related items, a child’s cry echoed through the terminal. Instinctively, Regina turned and looked for the source of the sound. She found the source to be standing a few feet away from her. The girl looked to be no older than 8, with a mane of dark hair and pale freckled skin. Regina didn’t speak much French but she could make out the words “home” and “father” echoing around the room.The mother of the child was responding with faster and more complicated french, but Regina knew the tone of her voice all too well.

It was the tone of a mother who was on the edge of collapse. Regina’s feet moved on instinct, and before she could stop herself she cautiously cleared her throat. With her head dipped to appear less threatening, she looked up at the distraught mother.

“Hello, I’m sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to know if I could be of some assistance.” She quietly offered.

The woman looked down at her with confusion in her bright blue eyes, the edges of which were brimmed with tears. Even in her obvious distress she was stunning. Pale skin, adorned with freckles and beautiful signs of age. Her eyes were large, expressive and so _very_ blue.

The girl looked up at Regina—her own blue eyes (closer to the color of a rainy day. Not the ocean her mother possessed) swimming with sadness—and let out a sad sob. She looked mature for her age, but it was clear she’d been through an ordeal. Regina’s motherly instincts kicked in and she knelt down beside her.

“Hush now sweetheart. I won’t be able to help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong. Take a deep breath now.” She said in her most comforting tone of voice. The girl took in a shaky but deep breath. She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. Regina gave her a small smile. “Good job darling. Now, my name is Regina. What’s yours?”

“ _Emilie._ _Mon nom est Emilie.”_

Regina gave her a wide smile as they shook hands. “Emilie, what a lovely name. Can you tell me what’s got you so upset?”

The girl sniffled. “Papa” was all she could get out before the tears overtook her again. She fell into Regina’s arms, sobbing into the neck of her t-shirt. For a moment Regina was struck with shock. She was unused to—even after so many years being a mother—children simply falling into her for comfort. Not many of the children in Storybrooke were unafraid of her, or connected in some way to her horrible past.

Behind her, her mother began to cry as well. Though she attempted to cover to her face with her hands to hide the tears. Her shaking shoulders gave her away. Regina picked the girl up as delicately as she could (she was deceptively strong for her size, a result of years of pilates and yoga classes) and gently led her to the most quiet and isolated spot she could find. It was a little alcove meant for the weary traveler. It was far removed from the hustle and bustle of the airport.

After a few moments, they were silent save for the cries of mother and daughter. Emilie ran out of tears first. She gave a few hiccups before slumping against Regina’s frame. The mother gave a sigh of relief.

“I am so sorry.” She said, her voice low and silky but tired. It hurt Regina’s heart to hear. “I…we…it’s been a rough day.”

“I could tell. That’s why I wanted to help. I’ve had a few rough weeks in a row myself so—I get it. I just hope I didn’t overstep my boundaries or disrespect you in anyway.” She replied.

“No, you didn’t—I assure you. I appreciate your attempts at helping. Everyone else has just walked by us. I understand that it is not their problem but, it’s still hard. She’s been inconsolable since my husband left and…” at the word husband her words began to shake. The woman trembled as more silent tears fell down her face.

Regina could sense in her a kindred spirit. A fellow fragmented soul. She wanted to wrap both mother and daughter up and keep them safe. But how was she to keep them safe from the evils of this world when she had once been one of them?

Regina could not find words. She was only able to look at the young mother and feel sorrow.

Soon enough though, the woman got herself together. She wiped away her tears and checked to make sure her bag was at her side. “I apologize for my emotional outburst. My name is Camila. Camila Ives.” She held out her hand in greeting. Regina took it and gave a warm smile in reply.

“Regina. Regina Mills.”

xxx

They shared a cab to the nearest cafe nearly ten minutes later. Emilie still slept soundly against Regina’s shoulder, and the fear in Camila’s eyes spoke for itself. She was too afraid to move her daughter from this virtual stranger’s side in fear that she’d wake and begin to cry again. So the only option was to wait for her to wake on her own.

Luckily, the coffee was well worth it. It was rich and flavorful, but not too sweet. The buzz of caffeine was just what Regina needed to keep her wits about her. Even though Regina wanted nothing more than to grab a shower at the nearest hotel, change out of her travel clothes (which consisted of black leggings, a maroon t-shirt she’d stolen from Zelena before leaving and an overly expensive travel bomber jacket with a whole bunch of pockets). But she was bound by a sense of responsibility to stay and help—a byproduct of her motherhood. After finishing their first cup and still being stuck with a sleeping seven year old, Camila began to speak.

“I…we’re getting a divorce. It was sudden. _Very_ sudden. I thought things were going well but…apparently they weren’t.” She sounded so devastated and unsure.

“How did you end up in an airport?” Regina questioned.

Camila chuckled and paused to thank the waitress for bringing over their second round of coffees. She took a sip before speaking. “We were accompanying him on a business trip when he ‘let us know’” She scoffed. "He simply told us that the house Emilie had grown up in—which was in his name of course—was no longer our home and that our things would be moved to whatever place we picked in the next two weeks. I have not a penny to my name any longer, but I made an investment years ago that did not pan out. A home in the countryside. It will need to be updated I’m sure, but it will do. I know I should call us a taxi, since my car was at the old property, but I just…I needed a moment. God—this is all such a mess. I feel so horrible that Emilie is so upset. She’s never been a difficult child but, today it’s just been hell.”

“I can tell and you’re right—this whole situation sounds like a mess…But it’s a mess that is not your fault.” Regina tried to assure. She could hear it in Camila’s voice. A familiar cadence that screamed self-doubt and self-hatred. Camila 100% blamed herself for the cruelty of her husband. And Regina could not simply stand by and let her continue to think that. She wished someone had done the same for her so long ago. 

“You barely know me.” Camila said with a sad snort. “How would you know?”

“I know because I know men. I know what savages they can be. And maybe that’s just my past experiences talking but at the least—I’ve had enough experience in this world to know that any man capable of abandoning the mother of his child after callously telling her that the marriage she has invested at least seven years is over, is a man not worth much. And men not worth much live to take the lives of women who do.” Regina took a sip of her coffee after her long winded rant.

Camila’s eyes were full of tears. They were threatening to spill over onto herfreckle covered cheeks, but before they could fully fall, Emilie gave a twitch. Then she stretched and lifted her head. She caught her mother’s eyes first and blushed.

“ _Maman, je suis désolée._ ” (Mama, I’m sorry.) She said in a voice just above a whisper.

Camila sighed. “ _Je sais que tu es désolé petit. Je ne peux pas être fâchée contre toi. La journée a été difficile. (_ I know you are sorry little one. I can not be upset with you. It has been a hard day _.)”_

Emilie hopped off of Regina’s lap and came to rest on her mother’s. She looked up at her, fear and uncertainty swimming in her eyes.

 _“Qu'allons-nous_ _faire maintenant?” (_ What are we going to do now? _)_ She asked quietly.

Camila took in a deep breath and leaned back into her chair. Regina could see the uncertainty in her eyes, but felt a rush of pride as the woman pushed past it to reassure her child. “ _Nous allons continuer à vivre nos vies. Papa n'est peut-être plus en eux, mais nous pouvons parfaitement nous débrouiller seuls. Comment le pays sonne-t-il mon amour?_ (We are going to continue to live our lives. Papa may not be in them anymore, but we can manage perfectly fine on our own. How does the country sound my love?)”

“ _Cela semble ennuyeux… mais tout ennuyeux peut devenir une aventure avec toi maman._ (It sounds boring…but anything boring can become an adventure with youMama.)” Emilie pressed a kiss to her mother’s cheek. The sight warmed Regina’s heart and for a few moments she missed Henry fiercely. He was off now, living his life and learning how to be an adult but she still missed him. With a quiet clearing of her throat, Regina gathered her coat and took a sip of the last dredges of her coffee. As she was about to make her way out of the caffe to give mother and daughter the time they needed to recover from their tragedy, a small voice called out to her.

“Where are you going?” Emilie asked, her voice so tiny and her accent so thick it melted Regina’s heart.

Regina turned. “I’m letting you and your mama have some time together. My work here is done. I’m glad I was able to help in any way I could.” She held out her hand for Emilie to shake. The girl only glared at it and then up at her.

“Why must you leave?” She questioned.

“She has a life to get back to Emilie. She was nice enough to help us recover our dignity in the airport, but we must not try to take up any more of her time.” Camila tried to explain.

Emilie pouted and to Regina’s horror tears began to fill her eyes.

“Don’t cry little one. Here.” Regina rushed to write down her phone number on a napkin. She pushed it over to the young girl. “You can call me if you need to talk. Or if you need anything.”

“How long will you be in France?” Camila asked.

“I’m unsure. I had planned to leave by the end of tomorrow but I’m unsure of where I’ll be going next. I just…don’t want to go home just yet.”

“That’s understandable. Here is my cell number. I should respond at virtually any time, I fear I won’t be busy for a while…” She slipped another napkin scrawled with a phone number over. They looked at each other for a few moments. Camila’s eyes filled with tears.

Unsure of what to do, they awkwardly fidgeted for a few seconds before finally giving into the urge to go for a hug. Camila gave a tearful laugh. “It is so odd how much I’ll miss you already. I’ve barely known you for more than an hour but I don’t want you to go.”

Regina felt the same way. She hadn’t had many friends in her life, and the few she had were either dead or hated her now. Feeling this spark of friendship was all together new and exciting and she didn’t want to let it go without trying to stoke it. But it was time to move on. She cleared her throat as she pulled away. A small smile fell on her lips and she nervously wiped a stray tear from her cheek.

“I don’t want to go either. But I think I must. Give me a call if you need me.” She squeezed Camila’s hand. They shared one last look before parting ways. Regina could feel Emilie’s gaze on her back as she walked towards the nearest taxi. She had to resist the urge to turn around and return to their side. Their presence—their company—made her feel safe in a way she hadn’t felt in so long.

xxx

Regina acquired a hotel room for the night shortly after the caffe. It wasn’t one of the touristy places and surely not as luxurious as was expected of her, but it wasn’t as run down as she’d feared. It was quaint and minimalistic—something Regina was becoming very appreciative of as her trip ran its course. She gave a sigh as she plopped down on the hard bed.

Tickets out of France were booked for the next afternoon.

As reluctant as she was to leave, Regina knew if she didn’t—she would never leave. Already, the beauty of the city had sunk its teeth into her. The verdant fields and clear blue sky set her at ease. She had stopped to smell so many bouquets of flowers and platters of pastries that looked nothing like on her way to the hotel. She barely spoke french, but the hum of conversation around her intrigued her. She wanted to know what the people were saying. Her entire being was screaming for her to stay.

But she had to go. The whole point of this trip was to avoid attachment. To journey from place to place in search of _herself_ —not anyone else. She’d had enough of being tethered to a group of human beings for years. She didn’t need this again—despite how much she wanted to call Camila. Just for breakfast before she left.

The woman had looked to be in need of a friend. Regina understood that need all too well, and wanted to help the woman whose spirit would have been effervescent had it not been so bruised. With a sigh, she sat up. As she reached for the cellphone on her bedside table, it rang on its own.

Regina jumped but after a moment’s hesitation answered.

“Hello?”

 _“Hello—uhm, is this Regina? Regina Mills?”_ An accented voice questioned.

“Yes.”

_“Wonderful! Uhm, this is Camila. You helped my daughter and I at the airport this morning. I know it’s silly and I know you barely know me but I need to go out on a limb. I don’t have anyone else to ask and it’s a bit of an emergency.”_

“Are you alright?” Regina asked. Worry forcing her heart to beat a few paces faster. She swallowed down the urge to leave right away. She wasn’t even sure where the woman was.

“I’m fine. We’re fine it’s just—Would you happen know anything about home reparation?”

 _What an odd question._ “I, no but if it’s an emergency I’m sure I could make do. Is this about the house in the country?”

“ _Yes. I don’t think I’ll be able to explain over the phone. It’s….saying it’s a mess would be an understatement. I don’t have the money to hire a contractor or anyone to fix it up. I don’t mind a bit of hard work I just don’t know where to start. And I don’t want to make things worse—”_ She was getting closer to hyperventilating now. The frantic nature of her breathing pattern was alarming. Regina used her best mix of firm and soft to calm the woman.

“Take a deep breath. I don’t see a problem with seeing what I could do. At best I can give you some tips and at worst, I could give you the name of someone who might be able to do something. What’s the address?”

She rattled off an address, and in a few minutes Regina was on her way out.

xxx

When Regina had written down the address of 610 Acacia Road, she had not been expecting to end up at a large, almost two acre lot in the middle ofthe countryside. Realistically, she hadn’t known what to expect at all, but this was _not_ in the realm of possible residences. Or so she had thought. 

The sun was just going down, so her view of the place wasn’t the greatest. But, from what she could see, it was _definitely_ rundown. Her knowledge of architecture was limited at best, so Regina guessed it was some sort of french chateau styled home. Spacious but old.

The front walls were crumbling. The roof was rotted. A few windows were busted. It looked like the majority of the upstairs was filled with vines. A few feet away an overgrown green house sat. An old stable could be seen a few miles into the fields. Camila and Emilie sat on the step. Emilie was fast asleep in Camila’s arms, so the woman felt she had license to let a few tears out. When she saw Regina step out of the car she perked up just the slightest bit.

In preparation for handwork, Regina had bought some work clothes. Stereotyical articles of clothing she’d known could withstand paint, debris and other home related mess. Her workout gear had been replaced with heavy duty work pants, workman boots and a thin black tank top. As she stepped towards the stairs, she swept her hair out of her face nervously.

“You should have called earlier. This place is…it has character.” She tried before giving a tense chuckle.

“That’s an understatement. I didn’t know it was like this. I thought it was in better shape. He _gave me_ this place. Years ago mind you, but he’d said this was a good investment. He said he’d have someone here to maintain the property. That fucking liar. He must have _known_ it was in this shape when he reminded me that this was an option. Why would he…?” A sob fell from her lips. Emilie stirred in her lap.

Regina pressed a hand to her shoulder. “Because he’s an ass.” Camila snorted. “He’s an evil asshole who doesn’t deserve your love or attention. This place…it’s not the end. It can be fixed.”

“But how? I don’t know how to do this. And with the lack of funds— how am I supposed to get anything done?” She was getting panicked again. Her eyes were wide and tears preparing to flow with a fierceness. Regina hurt for her.

“Calm down. We’ll figure something out.”She tried in as calm a voice as she could manage.

Camila gave her a confused expression. Her thick brows furrowed. “We?”

“Yes, we.I couldn’t in good conscience leave you here. I may barely know you but I feel very protective of you and the little one. We’ll make something of this place. I promise you. But not tonight. Tonight, you need to sleep. I rented a room. You can sleep there.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll meet you there in a few hours. I want to look around.”

“Are you certain I’m not keeping you from any responsibilities or plans? I know you may pity me and feel like it is your obligation to care for me, but I assure you we’ll be fine.”

“I don’t think of this as an obligation. In all honesty…I’m excited to help. You deserve a nice home and I needed a break from my mundane routine. This is the perfect break. We’ll talk more in the morning.” She pulled the key to the hotel room out of her coat pocket. “Go rest. Order food if you’re hungry. I’ll call the room when I’m on my way back.”

Camila looked as though she wanted to protest but she couldn’t find the energy. She simply nodded and pressed Regina close for a hug. “Thank you…I’ll never be able to express to you how much this means to me.” Before slipping the key of the house into Regina’s hand.

Regina nodded with teary eyes and watched as mother and daughter made their way to an old, beat up car that must have come with the property. When the car sped down the hill and off the path towards the main road, Regina turned back to the house. With a sigh, she took a step towards the door. As her hand touched the doorknob, a strange mixture of excitement and curiosity overtook her.

She unlocked the door slowly. An old, flickering chandelier came on as she flicked a switch to her right. As she’d thought, mother nature had come in and done her worst. The carpet was filthy with rainwater and dirt, the walls were rotted. The few pieces of furniture (probably decades old) were covered in plastic sheets but most likely unusable. But the structure was mostly intact. It was firm and strong, if in need of a bit of tlc.

Each room was on a different level of decay. The further back she went, the worse it got. She could understand the panic on Camila’s face now. There was no room suitable for a small child to live in any time soon. Her husband—the fucker—had set her up.

But there was potential. Regina felt the excitement course through her at the prospect of restoring the home to its former glory. She’d never thought of herself as someone interested in home renovation, but her heart was racing in the best way possible. Her thoughts were racing as she considered the possibilities and the prospect of making something out of this broken house.

In a way, it was indicative of her current state. She felt like a bruised, broken thing not worth much and certainly not habitable for love. But she knew—realistically—that something could make something out of the decay. Something could be created—something beautiful and worthy—could be built up from the dirt. And maybe this experience was what she needed to restore her soul.

To restore the sense of self that had been so diminished over the past few years.

She returned to the hotel an hour and a half after Camila and Emilie had. She was tired—exhausted really—but practically buzzing with excitement. When she entered the hotel room, mother and daughter were sound asleep on the bed. Though they weren’t under the covers. From the looks of it, Camila had sat down on the bed to rest after carrying her sleeping child all the way up the stairs, but fell to her exhaustion without realizing it. The sight sent a jolt of warmth through Regina. She smiled down at them and placed a blanket from the linen closet overtop their slightly shivering bodies.

She had to admit, their presence on the bed was kind of like a sign from the gods. She had lots of work to do, and sleep was most definitely jnot on the table now. Coffee would suffice in the morning, combined with maybe 2 hours of sleep.

First things first, the appropriate amount of research needed to be done. After settling the bill with the hotel manager—aka, extending their stay indefinitely and arranging for another room next door for Camila and Emilie, alongside wifi—Regina sat down at the desk and pulled her laptop out of her bag.

It had been a going away gift from Henry. At first, she figured she’d never use it, but now she was feeling extremely grateful for her son’s thoughtfulness. Her research on home renovation would not have gone smoothly if she’d been stuck with only a library or word of mouth.Regina did not sleep. She stayed up for hours and hours learning all she could about repairing homes and renovating. When exhaustion finally hit her, she fell onto the couch and into a deep, smiling slumber.

xxx

The first week of renovation was hell. With the little bits of money Camila had, combined with the near fortune Regina had stashed away but was unable to touch at the moment because of some legal bullshit—fixing up the house was nearly impossible. But they did what they could. Placing tarps in places that could be tarped and manually fixing things that could be fixed. The place was nowhere near a home but it would get there….eventually.

On the end of their first full week of work, Camila and Regina collapsed in the space that must have been the living room once upon a time. Emilie sat in the rental car, most likely napping after a hard day’s work. She’d earned the right to sleep for a while. She’d been a massive help during the most difficult moments of the clean up. Her seemingly never ending energy was a big help moving light materials from place to place. When they would be tempted to give up, it was her tiny little face that brought them back to reality. A reality in which giving up wasn’t an option. A little girl needed a stable home after having her entire world upended. So, despite the exhaustion that clung to their bones and the worry that threatened to drown them—Camila most of all—at all times, they pushed.

The downstairs was mostly cleaned out. Luckily, the previous owners had been avid gardeners, so the basement had been full of shears and axes and things of that nature. Now, the downstairs portion of the house looked more like a rundown home than a jungle.

Camila gave a sigh. “How are we going to do this? There’s so much to be done, and yet—so little time to do it.”

“I’ll call my bank in the morning, see what I can do to free up the money. This isn’t an impossible task it just…it will take time and resources. We can do it.” Regina assured. She took the woman’s hand and gave a squeeze. Camila gave her a curious look. Her face was smudged with dirt, and a few vines had been stuck in her hair since this morning but Regina didn’t have the energy to point it out.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you want to help us so much? Why are you wasting so much money and time on us? You came here in search fo something I’m sure—and you won’t find whatever it is being stuck with this project.”

Regina didn’t respond for a few moments, taking the time to really consider her answer. Camila was correct in some sense. The whole purpose of leaving Storybrooke and venturing on a seemingly endless quest around the world was the find herself. But, on the way it seemed she was destined to find Camila and Emilie. As much as Regina hated destiny—hated the idea of a predisposed path in life and some omnipotent, omnipresent _thing_ dictating her choices—she knew some things were unavoidable. Some things were _meant_ to happen. For whatever reason, she had the strongest feeling that this was one of those things. The time spent on this house, with these people, was the key to her recovery in a sense.

But she had no idea how to describe all of those feelings, all of those intuitions in one sentence. So she shrugged in a most graceless manner.

“Because…I want to. I haven’t had the chance to do many things I _wanted_ to do in my life. And I can say with no hesitation that this might be the first time in my entire adult life I’ve made a choice solely for me that would do nothing but heal me. I understand it’s odd and if it becomes uncomfortable feel free to tell me just…know I’m here because I want to be.”

Camila was silent for a few moments. Her eyebrow quirked as she looked over at the shorter brunette. She snorted and looked away with a shy smirk. With a sigh, she gave a sigh and fell back onto the tarp covered couch. She chuckled. “You’re an odd one Mills. But I cannot help but appreciate your oddity. ”

Regina chuckled. It fell somewhere between a saddened chuckle and a relieved one. “You don’t even know the half of it.”


	2. Baked Goods and Bad Husbands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a day late, I wanted to take my time and make it good. I hope you enjoy!

Two more weeks passed before any more real ‘concerns’ came about.

During those two weeks, Regina, Camila and Emilie fell into a routine of sorts. In the mornings, just as the sun was climbing over the horizon—they’d head across the street to the bakery. The owner was a kind woman with warm eyes and what felt like a revolving door of rambunctious children. When she laid eyes on Emilie’s sad face the first time they’d made a visit, she couldn’t help but slip her a few free cookies. A camaraderie of sorts was born. And as a result, they had no choice but to return at least once a day. Lest they face the wrath of a cranky Emilie Ives. The place was quaint. Quiet but a hidden gem of sorts because of the quality of their baked goods. So all in all, neither Regina nor Camila had a real problem with going there.

After breakfast, they’d head to the house. It was cooler in the mornings which made work easier. Progress was…slow going. But steady. The living room area was mostly inhabitable. They’d gotten rid of the furniture and even got a few bucks for it thanks to an antique refurbisher. The hard wood floor was in the process of being replaced, but they anticipated work would be done within the next few days. Lunch break came around noon and that was usually some form of sandwich or grilled meat courtesy of Camila’s seemingly obscure skill set. An hour or two was put aside for French lessons for Regina then more work, until the darkness came and forced exhaustion upon them all.

Then back to the hotel to sleep. Except on this night in particular, Regina was finding it very hard to sleep.This wouldn’t be her first stint with insomnia. It had been a frequent visitor during her reign as queen, and she’d learned several ways to cope with it over the years. All of them unhealthy. So, with a sigh, Regina sat up and forced herself out the bed. She refused to fall back into such unhealthy habits. Not when she was finally on the right track.

She sat up on the edge of the bed for a few moments, pondering just what she could do when the answer came unbidden in the form of a long lost memory.

Years ago, when Regina had been a young, naive little thing craving love and a chance to escape—she’d written. Religiously as a matter of fact. Every day in the ‘privacy’ of her bedroom, she scrawled down her deepest desires and most prevalent thoughts. She wrote letters to her dead lover in the pages of her leather bound journal. She told stories of her life she’d never—to this day—dare to speak out loud. And she’d felt better. She’d slept like a rock before Leopold had taken to reading her journals. Then sleep was a thing of the past.

What would the harm be of taking up that practice again? Regina had done so many worse things in her life to try and cope with the reality of her situations. Why not fall back into something that once was so familiar and yet still remained so foreign?

The pen was in her hand before she could stop herself. As was a looseleaf piece of paper. Regina let the words flow without much thought. She didn’t even go back to read over what she’d said—she just wrote. And gods, did it feel wonderful.

Before long, she wasn’t just writing. She was expressing all of the feelings she’d let bottle up for so many years. All of the anger and disappointment and pain filled the page until there wasn’t any room left. When the last line was inked with her elegant hand script, she paused. Andthat’s when she heard it. The sound of crying.

Not a child’s crying—thankfully, for she feared Emilie would cry herself into vomiting if she didit one more time—but a woman’s. A heartbroken woman’s. Regina wasted no time in getting up. A grey robe slipped over her shoulders just as she raised her knuckles to the adjoining door. The crying ceased suddenly. The rustling of fabric. Then the door opened. There was no hiding the tear streaked cheeks or red eyes. Camila tried though. She even tried to smile but Regina was having none of it.

“What happened?” She questioned without preamble.

Camila let out a harsh breath. “Nothing. I just—I’m having a moment. That’s all.”

“There’s no use in lying to me. At least not about this. You’re a horrible liar.” Regina chided gently. Camila blushed but didn’t try tofurther deny the truth luckily. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really…but I know I have to.”

“Will alcohol make it any easier?” Regina suggested with a quirk of her eyebrow.

Camila chuckled. “Hopefully. Emilie’sfast asleep so I guess a few minutes of venting won’t hurt.”

Regina simply opened the door wider and let the woman slip in.

xxx

It took three glasses of cheap wine to get Camila to confess. She was apparently a light weight (even though most humans were light weights in comparison to Regina. She’d spent nearly 30 years straight choking down cider that still had a tendency to knock eventhe most brawny man on his ass. Not to mention the nearly 20 years she’d spent drowning away her sorrows as queen) so her words were slightly slurred but coherent.

“I checked the mail this morning and found this.” She pulled a crumpled stack of papers out of her pocket and handed it to Regina. It took only a glance for her to understand what it was. “I don’t know if I should be relieved or devastated.”

“Both I should think.” Regina replied in a deadpan tone before taking another sip of her wine. She winced at the taste. “You’re ending a rather large chapter of your life in an abrupt way. It’s bound to be devastating. But if his behavior towards you was anything similar to what I’ve guessed based on the fact that he dumped you without warning in an airport and left you without a home—just know you are going to be upgrading and doing so much better without him.”

Camila nodded but didn’t verbally respond for a few moments. She took another two sips of her wine before finally speaking. “You speak as though from experience. Are you running from a failed marriage yourself?” She questioned.

Regina couldn’t help but snort. Gods, it sure as hell felt like she was running from a broken marriage sometimes. She and Emma had acted like an old married couple for so long it was hard to distinguish her experiences from that of a scorned wife. Especially when she woke up in the middle of the night aching to be near Emma again. Crying because she wasn’t good enough to be chosen by the woman she’d give anything for. Regina cleared her throat.

“Not exactly. But in a way, I have experienced what you’re experiencing. I was married for a long time and it was…less than adequate let’s say. I got out of it but… ” The alcohol was loosening Regina’s tongue. Blurring the edges of her defenses. Alcohol and reminiscing on her marriage were a recipe for disaster. She had to pullback before slipped up again. So she licked her lips in a nervous gesture and took in a deep breath. “The point is that I understand. And I’m here to help. Just think of it like this—if you don’t contest, you can have your life back in six weeks.”

Camila was silent once again, taking in Regina’s words and letting them settle into the back of her mind like a mantra. She sighed. “You’re right it’s just…” Shame filled her face for a moment. Regina knew exactlywhat she was thinking. She reached out and held the taller woman’s hand.

“You don’t exactlywant your life back—do you? You just want what’s familiar.” A tear slipped from Camila’s eyes and landed on their joined hands. Regina pulled her into a hug. She didn’t sob the way Regina hadbeen anticipating. Her tears simply fell hot and heavy into the thin robe. Her breathing occasionally hiccuping.

After a couple ofminutes, Camila pulled back and wiped her tears away. She chuckled. “I think that’s enough crying for tonight. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. It’s better for you to let it out.”

“Did you cry like this when your marriage ended?”

“Not exactly…I cried in relief when it was officially over." _aka ‘when my husband finally succumbed to the poison'_ Regina's mind hissed. "I even locked myself in the bathroom and just…sat there. Bawling my eyes out until I was forced to leave.”

“God—it was that bad?”

Regina simply nodded. “I’ll tell you about it one day…I think. But not today. Not when I have this muchalcohol in my system.”

Camila nodded.

They sat in silence. It was silently agreed that sleep would not come for them that night. So they turned on a movie and sat up against the headboard for the remainder of the night. Their hands joined, tears slipping down their cheeks.

xxx

The next morning was a return to their routine. The floor of the living room was finished and the kitchen was started. Now that one room was cleaned and safe, Emilie finally had a place to study. It was the summer time luckily, and she was starting first grade in a mere few weeks. She was a bright child, and eager to learn most things that didn’t involve numbers. Regina could see her creative spirit from a mile away, and embarrassingly enough, found herself wanting to observe it grow. In the late afternoon, right as Regina was teachingEmilie how to plant flowers in the front lawn—a car pulled up the driveway. Regina didn’t recognize it, but from the way Emilie perked up at the sight of it and the way Camila paled she could easily make a guess as to who it was.

Emilie shot up like a rocket from the dirt and ran towards it, her little legs propelling her as fast as they could towards the passenger side. “Papa!” She screamed in delight. A rich chuckle came from the opened window. And a tall man dressed in fine clothes stepped out.

He was handsome—there was no denying that. With dark hair that went down to his shoulders in waves, dark eyes, tanned skin and perfectly tended to facial hair. He looked the part of a single CEO. And it irked Regina to her core. She wanted to strangle him for putting Camila and Emilie through so much pain, then having the nerve to walk back into their lives like he’d done nothing wrong.

She stood slowly, slipping off her gardening gloves and pulling her hair up—just in case. Looks were deceiving at times, and if he dared lay a hand on Camila or Emilie, Regina wouldn’t hesitate to rip him apart.

“ _Ma petite chérie! Je suis tellement contente de te voir! Tu es devenu si grand!_ (My little darling! I'm so happy to see you! You've grown so big!)” He said. When he let go of his daughter, he had thenerve to look over at Camila with a smug grin. “ _Bonjour Camila. Tu as l'air bien. En bonne santé._ (Hello Camila. You look well. In good health.)”

Despite the almost daily lessons Regina still struggled to make out exactly what he was saying to her. But no matter how complimentary or good natured it was, he had no right. She crossed her arms over her chest andsent him the worse glare she could muster. He noticed her then, and sent her a curious look just as Camila spoke.

“J _e suis en bonne santé parce que je ne t'ai plus suce la vie. Qu'est-ce que tu veux? Pourquoi es-tu ici?_ (I’m in good health because I no longer have you sucking the life out of me. What doyou want? Why are you here?)”

“ _Je suis ici pour voir mon enfant bien sûr. Je vous ai donné le temps de vous rafraîchir. Je vous ai donné le temps de mettre de l'ordre dans vos affaires. Maintenant, je voudrais passer du temps avec ma petite Emilie_. (I'm here to see my child of course. I gave you time to cool off. Gave you time to get your affairs in order. Now I’d like to spend some time with my little Emilie.)” He smiled down at Emilie and picked her up. The girl gave a giggle.

“You have one hour. We are very busy.” Camila tried to command, but her voice grew weaker the longer she stood in his presence. It hurt Regina to see. She stepped forward to comfort the woman. She and Sergio locked eyes.

He raised an eyebrow. “Who is this?”

“This is Regina Papa! Our new friend! She’s from America—and she is helping us fix the house!”Emilie exclaimed with a wide smile. “She’s the best. I think you’ll love her Papa!”

His smirk deepened. The look in his eyes moved from a curious assessment to something more calculating. If Regina had been any other woman, she would have been either intimidated or aroused—but she was not just any woman. She was a woman who’d killed hundreds. Who’d let armies into war and killed her own husband at the tender age of 28. She was not intimidated by him in the slightest.

She held out her hand in greeting. “My name is Regina. Regina Mills.”

Sergio took it. “Sergio. Sergio Ives. A pleasure.”

Regina raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m afraid it’s the farthest thing from a pleasure for me unfortunately.”

He laughed at her boldness.“I can only imagine the things you’ve been told about me. But I assure you, I’m not as bad as I seem.”

“You’re right. You’re worse. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do. This property isn’t going to fix itself.” She gave one last threatening and potentially bone bruising squeeze of his hand before walking away and returning to the front door of the estate. The door itself needed repairing—though it could have waited until later, but Regina refused to leave Camila by herself with that man. Just his presence made her skin crawl in a way that was much too familiar.She’d been around powerful men all her life, but there was a certain breed that always managed to make her sick. Theones who knew just how powerful and attractive they were and used it to their advantage. Most times to ruin the lives of others. A prime example being Leopold. And now Sergio.

She turned her back to his presence but kept a keen ear out for any aggressive tones. Emilie chatted for a few minutes about something or other, then Camila and Sergio spoke before the tones began to escalate. Sergio huffed and purposefully raised his voice to speak in English. 

“We’ll be back in an hour.”

“Pardon?!”“Excuse me?” Regina and Camila exclaimed at the exact same time.

Sergio had the nerve to look vexed and even rolled his eyes. “I would like some private time with my daughter. I can’t very well do that with a stranger here. I shall take her to the restaurant she likes. We’ll be back before bedtime—like I said." His tone left no room for argument. He simply carried Emilie over to the car and strapped her into a booster seat. Camila advanced, worry and hurt warring on her face as she reached out to stop him. But Sergio was too quick. He knew exactly what to do to manipulate Camila into a pliable position. He took her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it.

“I’ll be back my love. If you could be so kind—would you make sure to sign thosepapers so I can take them to our lawyer in the morning. Au revoir pour le moment! (Goodbye for now!) ”

He was in the car before Regina could stop him and speeding off down the hill before Camila could blink. For a while, they both stood in shock. Both their hearts racing as the encounter caught up the them.

xxx

Unsure of what to do with themselves, they called it a day on the house for the time being. Returning to the hotel seemed like the best idea. On the way though, they spotted their usual bakery with the lights still on. Regina and Camila shared a look. Wordlessly they parked and went inside. The owner was there as always and greeted them with a warm smile. But it dimmed the slightest bit when she noticed their lack of child.

“Hello again! I didn’t expect to see you again until tomorrow morning. Is the little one alright?”

“She’s fine.” Camila said, her voice gravelly and her eyes wide but glassy. She was trying to hard not to cry. “She’s with her father. We needed a pick-me-up while we wait. I hope it is not an imposition.”

The owner’s face lit up in understanding. “Ah well, enjoy these on the house then. And these as well.” She ran into the back and pulled out two large chocolate chip cookies alongside two glasses of what looked like whiskey.

“You don’t have to drive anytime soon—right?” They both shook their heads no.

The cookies were delicious as always. Ooey, gooey warm goodness that made Regina miss the days in which she could spend entire Saturday night baking cookies and consuming them all. Shecould technically do that now but she was too busy with the house to even consider such a luxury.

“You know.” The owner said suddenly. Both Regina and Camila jumped at the unexpected sound of her voice. “I have seen you two in here every day for thepast two months almost. And I still don’t know your names.”

Reginagave a small smile. As tired as she was, she found herself unable to resist the woman’s calm charm. She held out her hand. “Regina. Regina Mills.”

Camila seemed to have thought the same and held out her hand as well. “Camila Ives.”

The owner gave a bright smile. “I’m Eliza. Eliza Martin.”

xxx

They returned to the house within the hour. But despite Sergio’s promises, they did not return until the next morning. Camila had cried herself to sleep with worry, and refused to go back to the hotel. So they’d made camp in the living room and took turns keeping watch. At around 6 in the morning, a car finally pulled into the driveway. Sergio stepped out, Emilie in his arms—fast asleep. Camila rushed to take her, and instantly checked for any bruises or cuts.

Sergio huffed. “ _Ne sois pas idiote. C'est mon enfant. Je ne lui ferais jamais de mal._ (Don’t be silly woman. She’s my child. I would never hurt her.)”

“ _Et j'étais ta femme - et pourtant tu insistes pour me faire du mal._ (And I was your wife—and yet you insist on hurting me.) ” Camila spat.

He did not respond. He simply pulled his hair back with a tired sigh. _“Avez-vous les papiers?_ (Do you have the papers?)”

“ _Oui. Et ils sont signés— comme vous l'avez demandé._ (Yes. And they are signed—just as you asked.) ” Camila handed them over. “Now leave. It’s what you are best at.”

Sergio sighed. “ _Un jour, ma chérie, tu verras que j'avais raison de procéder de cette façon. Il n'y avait pas d'autre moyen._ (One day my darling you’ll see that I was right in going about our end this way.There was no other way.)”He tried to sound sympathetic but it was of no use.

Camilascowled at him. “ _Laisser. Maintenant._ (Leave. Now.)”

And he did.


	3. First Steps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this is so late! I had the most intense writer's block for the longest time but I think I've gotten over it. I've come to conclusion though that this story will be telling the journey of Regina's first year or so in France. Then the little moments after this and after the end of About Time will be put in a one-shot compilation when the inspiration strikes. Thank you for your patience! I hope you enjoy.

It takes 6 months to repair a house, but a lifetime to build a home.

And an evening with your secretary, coupled with weeks worth of grandiose ideas of self importance to wreck a family.

Within 7 months of Regina’s arrival in France on that fateful day of travel, the house was in…a shape. Maybe not perfect. But livable. Cosmetic work still needed to be done, alongside some modernization. The garden Regina and Emilie had planted was coming along nicely but the state of the family was far from alright.

When it was just the three of them—Camila, Emilie and Regina—things were perfect. Emilie was a fast learner, and was speaking English with more clarity by the day. Regina’s French was getting better, though at slower rate, and Camila’s general happiness had improved. Slowly, but surely Camila and Emilie were learning to live without Sergio’s constant company, and Regina was learning how to love herself.

But the process towards healing had always been a tumultuous one. And slow going.

The weekends were the worst. The divorce was finalized—as Regina had predicted—six weeks after Sergio requested the paper’s be signed. Camila ended up with a measly stipend for child support and a property close to the sea whose existence she hadn’t been aware of until now. She didn’t have the guts to go and look at the rundown place he’d left her once again, so most days she and Regina spent their time at the house or at the bakery. That was all well and fine, until Emilie wasn’t there.

It was like the spark of life just left Camila completely. She tried hard to be present and happy, but Regina knew the pain she was feeling. She knew it wasn’t an easy feeling or experience to have to _share_ the child you’d raised with someone. She needed a distraction of some sort.

But the most question was: where exactly was Regina supposed to find one?

She had her own coping mechanisms, and at the time they had worked—but Regina knew now that they were the farthest thing from healthy. Camila had been through enough. After being cast out by her husband, being unsure of where to go or what to do or just where her future was headed—she deserved healing.

So Regina studied. She did research she never thought she’d do—swallowing down her bitter views of life and her cyclical comments—scrolling through self-help articles and books.

She never thought she’d turn into one of _those_ people, but she didn’t see an alternative. And as much as she hated the idea of falling right back into the trap of friendship, she cared a lot about Camila. She was a strong woman, but vulnerable. Witty and charming and oh so sensitive. Regina wanted her to thrive, so she’d push aside her misconceptions and do what she could.

The first attempt went over…semi successfully. Camila didn’t give much of a reaction at first, but after a few more subtle drops of ‘I found this article the other day, I think you’d like it’ and ‘I don’t want to try this alone, will you do it with me?’ she became more receptive. And the change began to show.

She had more motivation to do things when Emilie left, which was a miracle in and of itself, but she hadn’t had the energy to actually _do_ something. Until now.

A sigh echoed around the living room. Regina glanced over her shoulder, making sure to keep her hand steady as she repainted the walls of the kitchen.

“Is everything alright?” She asked.

“Everything’s fine I’m just…I’ve never really been good at being idle. I’ve always either worked or put all my energy into raising Emilie. This project is interesting but it’s not…stimulating my mind in the way I need it to.” Camila confessed.

“And what would?” Regina questioned. She didn’t properly turn around but she could imagine the position Camila was in. Stretched out on the new sofa, her feet dangling over the arm rest her eyes gazing up at the ceiling. The taller woman sighed again.

“I don’t know. I can’t exactly pick up a hobby. That would take too much time. I need a job but my skillset is…incredibly limited?”

“What did you do before Sergio? Before giving birth to Emilie?”

A wistful sigh. “I worked at a museum.”

Regina’s eyebrow raised in surprise. “Really?”

“Yes. That’s where we met actually. I was working for a museum in Paris when this big strong millionaire walked in and swept me off myfeet. I gave up everything for him. And now I have nothing.”

“You still have Emilie.” Regina reminded.

“For now. I think he’s gearing up to take her from me. And he’s the most suitable parent on paper. A CEO living in a mansion with the means to give my child everything she could possibly want. It’s only a matter of time before it all falls apart.”

“But you can stop it. You can take the steps to make a better life for yourself. One that is irrefutably healthy and wonderful. Not just for Emilie’s sake but your own.”

Regina finally turned all the way around and faced Camila. The other woman met her eyes, and the uncertainty in them made Regina’s heart hurt.

“Where could I possibly begin with that endeavor? We still have to finish fixing the house up before Emilie starts school. If I get to keep her that long—

“—stop that. You and I both know Emilie is happiest here with you. But you’re right. Starting this endeavor will be difficult. But not in the way you’re thinking.”

“In what way then?”

Regina took a cautious breath and placed the roller back in the pot of paint before speaking. “The property that was given to you in the settlement—do you know anything about it?”

“No. I haven’t bothered to torture myself with the idea of yet another project because of Sergio’s negligence.” Camila huffed as she sat up.

Regina plopped down on the sofa beside her. It wasn’t exactly a comfortable sofa—and neither of them really expected it to be. They’d bought it for $100 a flea market—but it would do for now. She quirked an eyebrow at Camila.

“I on the other hand looked into the place. It was once a winery. It’s been out of commission for years, but I see potential. I think we should go see it.”

“And then what? Invest and begin to manufacture wine?”

“Exactly. You’re always complaining about the taste of battery acid knock offs we’re forced to buy. You obviouslyknow something about wine. So why not?”

Camila couldn’t even come up witha valid reason why not. She struggled, her eyes wide as she stuttered and froze. Then the doorbell rang and a little squeaky voice could be heard yelling. “ _Maman! Je suis à la maison! Tu m'as tellement manqué, j'ai tellement de choses à te dire!”_ (Mama! I'm home! I missed you so much, I have so much to tell you!)

The idea was dropped…for the time being. But it wouldn’t leave Regina’s mind for a long while.

xxx

Before attempting to convince Camila any further, Regina spoke to Zelena.

She and Zelena had been in almost constant contact since the 4th month of the repairs. To Regina’s surprise, Zelena had been infinitely supportive of her decision to leave and stay to help her new friend. The smile she’d given over Skype had been so much brighter than anything Regina had seen in a while. Then, when she spoke about the possible business venture she’d been vocal about her opinion.

 _“I think it’s a brilliant idea.”_ She’d said. Her voice slightly muffled and her face grainy but still clear enough to make out a face. _“Starting your own business off the back fo something so horrible has the potential to be really good. Just be cautious—though I know I don’t exactly need to be telling you of all people that.”_

The thought of her support and the idea that she hadn’t make a huge mistake in staying in France for the past few months made her smile. Not to mention the excitement of this possible venture.

“What’s got you so happy?” Camila questioned.

They sat on the steps of the house. As they often did when the weather was nice enough.Emilie sat in front of Regina, a book in her hands. Her back was to Regina, and her hair was in Regina’s hands. Camila was beside them, sipping on a cup of iced tea that was probably too sweet for Regina.

“ _Je pense à notre excursion sur le terrain aujourd’hui._ (Just thinking about our field trip today.)”

Emilie’s attention shot up to her at once. “ _Excursion?_ (Field trip?)”

Regina smiled down at the little girl. She’d been twisting her hair into what was apparently called ‘space buns’. She looked absolutely darling with her dark hair half pulled up in those buns and the rest left in waves behind her.

Regina’s eyes filled with tears. The trust in that girl’s eyes was incredible. It had been such a long time since a child had trusted Regina. She caressed the girl’s hair before placing a kiss on the crown of her head.

“ _Oui mon petit moineau._ (Yes my little sparrow).”

Emilie’s eyes widened in excitement. “Can we go now?!”

Regina looked over at Camila, who was eyeing her with curiosity as well as a hint of amusement. The woman shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

And so they went. Camila drove, and didn’t even have to ask where they were going. She only gave a quirk of her eyebrow. The place was a good distance away, and every minute spent in the car was filled with built up anticipation. Regina had seen pictures of the place in its hay day and some from an article written about a year ago, but seeing it in person would be a whole other deal.

They weaved in and out of the valleys and up a hill before they reached the place. Emilie let outstunned gasp at the sight.

It was certainly bigger than expected, but not nearly as rundown as the house had been. And in the distance, rows of grape vines lay under the sun. The actual winery was large, but once they stepped inside it was clear the place was overcrowded with empty barrels and debris from whatever previous endeavors had gone on. But it was undeniably beautiful. Regina could see the excitement on Camila’s face.

“Isn’t it nice?”

“It is…Much nicer than I thought it would be. Much less…neglected.”

“It has potential. Potential for something. We just have to figure out what.” Regina said. She could see the wheels turning in Camila’s head. The curiosity and intrigue filling her was making Regina excited.

But on top of all that excitement, a bit of dread filled her. This journey—this wonderfully healing journey was coming to an end. Regina’s time here, her purpose—helping Camila get back on her feet—was almost complete. She’d have to return to Storybrooke in matter ofmonths. Return to the monotony and pain of her life there. As much as she dint want to, she knew intruding on Camila’s new life would be abhorrent. It would defeat the whole purpose of this journey.

So she’d have to learn how to go without once again.

xxx

Camila tried to play coy. Tried to pretend as if the winery visit hadn’t sparked something inside her. She tried to go on with the house repairs without mentioning the place but Regina could almost see it in her eyes. She could almost see the creative juices flowing.

It took two more months for Camila to finally break down. Emilie started school on a warm day in late August, and after crying as she said goodbye to her daughter—she turned to Regina in the parking lot of the school.

“I have an important matter to discuss with you. But I don’t want to do it here.” She explained. She looked beyond nervous, but Regina was determined to put her at ease. She placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Why not grab a treat before we have whatever big talk you’ve planned? Eliza’s?” Camila nodded.

Itdidn’t take long to return to the bakery and grab a table near the window. Regina bit into the first of her container of macarons when Camila cleared her throat.

“I want you to be my business partner.”She suddenly said.

Regina nearly choked. “Excuse me?”

“I…I’ve come to realize a few things over the past few weeks. It’s been almost a year Regina. Almost a year since we’ve met and almost every day has been better than most of my life with Sergio. I’ve never had a friend like you and…I don’t want to lose you. And I don’t want Emilie to lose you. From a purely selfish standpoint offering you 50% of this business alongside managerial position in theperfect way to ensure you stay but from a purely professional standpoint it would be foolish not to offer the job to you.”

Her heart was in her throat. Tears burned at her eyes at the honest, sincere words pouring from Camila’s lips. She was speaking only the truth—an attribute Regina both resented and coveted.

And she would have said yes in a heartbeat had that little voice in the back of her mind hadn’t ruined things for her. Reminding that—in essence—she’d been omitting a very imprint aspect of her life. Her magic. Her past. All deciding factors in the decision to make Regina a business partner and essentially—roommate.

A tear slipped past her defenses and down her cheek.

“I…I’m honored to be considered for the position. I want to say yes more than anything but I can’t unless I…unless I tell you the truth. My past it’s—”

“Irrelevant. I’m not going to ask you to disclose your entire life’s history to me. You can, when you want to but I won’t force you. Life is…complicated. Terrifying. But one thing that is not complicated or terrifying to me in any way is my friendshipwith you. The support you’ve shown me and the relationship you’ve created with my child are priceless. And Iwon’t let that slip away.”

“But…I can promise you—you’d be terrified of me if you knew my truth.”

“That may bet true, but I don’t care. The woman I know now is wonderful and kind and warm. That’s all that matters to me.” Camila said with a firm tone.

More tears fell. Words couldn’t even begin to come out of Regina’s mouth. Camila seemed to understand. She grabbed Regina’s hand and squeezed.

  
“If you wish to tell me one day, I’d be more than happy to hear your story. But please know it won’t change anything. I’ll still support you the way you’ve supported me. I’ll still be here to help you as much as I can be…I must admit Regina, I don’t exactly want you to leave. I know Emilie has grown quite attached to you and she’s not the only one. I see you as a sister and want nothing more than for you to be here with us for as long as you want. But I know you were in search of something. So I cannot begrudge you if you decide to leave. Just…maybe come back from time to time?”

“I don’t think I’d be able to leave even if I wanted to.” Regina confessed in a shaky whisper. Both women chuckled.

“It’s settled then. We’re doing this. Together.”

“We are. And I couldn’t be happier.”

xxx

It didn’t take more than a few weeks to finalize the ownership of not only the land, but the equipment and the building that came on the land. It was a bit of an adjustment, but one Regina expected to be well worth it. They split their time between the house renovations and overseeing the rebuilding of a winery. Both things neither woman was exactly well versed on. Which was why, on a cold morning during the time of day she often sat on the front steps and sipped warm tea—Regina was not surprised to see Camila making her way towards her, a pamphlet and her laptop in hand.

“What have you done now?”

“Made a few calls, found a solicitor. And before you start on the whole “we can do just fine on our own thing” just know that i’ve done a lot of research and have come to conclusion that having an extra pair of eyes to dot our i’s and cross our t’s will be nothing but helpful.”

Regina took a sip of her tea. She quirked an eyebrow at Camila. “That sounds perfectly reasonable to me. The only way for us to do this right is to seek the help of a professional. What’s his name?”

“Her name is Petra Kent. She’s big in Australia apparently but has been looking to expand her reach. She’s willing to work on a discounted rate in exchange for a 2% stake in our company.”

“You seem to know a-lot. When will she be here?”

“Sunday.”

Regina couldn’t help but roll her eyes with a chuckle. Of course Camila had already set the ball in motion. Regina couldn’t even blame her really, they needed this done sooner rather than later. The faster they ironed out the details and patched up the problem areas, the smoother the business would run in the long term. So she gave a small nod and sipped her tea again. 

A jolt of excitement filled her belly. They were really doing this. _She_ was really doing this. Setting roots down in the south of France of all places. This was the last thing she’d expected to come out of this trip of self discovery but in all honesty, Regina knew it was the beginning of something extraordinary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Petra makes her first appearance next chapter. I can't wait.


	4. First Impressions Part 1:

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy and I hope everyone is doing well!

Camila met Petra at a restaurant inside of the hotel Petra was currently staying at. The original plan had been for Regina to accompany Camila, so as to introduce herself to their new business partner, but the night before Emilie succumbed to a fever. Nothing incredibly serious, but serious enough to warrant constant supervision. Which meant Camila had to go to the meeting alone.

She was less than excited about it, but pushed through for the sake of their future and the business.

Emilie was no trouble..for the most part. She slept for the majority of Sunday morning, but right around noon she became restless. Up until this point, Regina had not known the girl to be anything other than sweet, quiet and keenly observant. But the child before her was the farthest thing from the little angel she’d been around for the past 9 months.

She stumbled out of bed and made her way down to the living room. Regina sat on the only couch, reading a book and basking in the warmth of the sun filtering through the windows. She relished times like these, where she could simply enjoy herself without worry and without consequence. In Storybrooke, she’d always been working, always on edge and always trying to prevent the next threat. Before Storybrooke, she’d been on edge for a completely different reason.

She’d been fearful turning every darkened corner. Whether it be a fear of encountering her mother, her husband or her step daughter (who she loved in a certain way, but who she hated as well. All those feelings would bubble up the second they were in the same vicinity and it was turmoil.)

It felt magnificent She looked up just in time to see Emilie’s lip wobble before a piercing cry echoed around the room.

 _“Je veux maman!_ (I want Mama!)” She whined. Fat tears fell down her ruddied cheeks as she screamed. Regina shot up from the couch in a second.

“Oh no no no _mon petit moineau._ No need to cry now. Mama will be back soon.” Regina assured her in a hushed tone. She pulled the girl to her softly, pressing kisses to her forehead and the top of her head as she hushed her. Sniffles echoed near her ear. Regina could feel her tears wetting the thing sweater she'd worn, as well as the furrowed brow against her neck. She rubbed Emilie’s back.

“It will be ok _mon petit moineau_. How about we watch a movie? Or listen to some music?” Emilie shook her head. “Would you like to just sit with me in the quiet until Mama comes back?” It took Emilie a few seconds to make a decision, and she nodded. She cuddled into Regina and rested her head on her chest. With ease, Regina scooped her up and pulled her close.

And so they sat. For so long that Regina’s legs fell asleep—not that she truly cared. She hadn’t had this in _so_ long. Not since Henry was young. She nevergot the chance with Roland, and she hadn’t any other children around her of this age in so long. Regina had always been an affectionate person—to the surprise of anyone who got close enough to her to discover that fact—and for the longest time she’d been without that affection. But it came easily here.

Emilie and Camila were very affectionate, which bled into their relationship with Regina. Camila was affectionate often and, Emilie was almost always near her and hugging her in some way. And, despite her early reservations, Regina found herself relying on the affection. Coveting it. She relaxed under the weight of her new favorite person and easily, they both succumbed to sleep.

They were still asleep when Camila returned for dinner. The door opened and shut. Two sets of footsteps echoed around the hall. She had a guest. Regina pushed the slumber to the back of her mind and sat up. She put Emilie down onto the couch and stood up slowly. Just in time to see Camila guide a tall blonde woman into the living room.

At Regina’s presence Camila gave a sheepish smile.

" _Bonne soirée mon cher ami._ I know this is a bit of an unexpected surprise but there’s been a bit of a…situation. Regina Mills—meet Petra Kent.” She motioned towards the tall blonde at her side and immediately Regina’s breath was stolen out of her chest.

She was gorgeous. Beyond gorgeous. There may not have even been a word to describe the amount of beauty that was standing before her. She was lithe, but shapely. Every inch of her was long and graceful. Her eyes were a piercing steel blue and underneath the disturbing bruises on her cheeks, Regina knew she had stunning cheekbones. Her mouth watered. Her entire body was alight with intrigue and the slightest bit of arousal. Had it not been for the bruises and clear pain on her beautiful face, Regina surely would have sat all day staring at her.

She cleared her throat and took a step towards Petra. She held out her hand. “Regina Mills. Nice to make your acquaintance.”

“Petra Kent. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well, though I have to apologize for my current state. I don’t normally look so rough.” She gave a stilted laugh. Regina couldn’t help but give her a once over after that comment.

On the surface she didn’t look truly rough. But if your gaze were to linger on her face under a certain light, there was no mistaking the pained expression and the makeup covered bruises. Regina didn’t hesitate.

“Follow me.” She simply said before walking towards the downstairs bathroom. She heard a few murmured assurances between Camila and Petra before high heeled footsteps finally followed her. Regina knew the drill by now. She knew that most the wounds on her face were taken care of well enough, but that the truth scars were hidden well beneath the layers of makeup and tough skin.

And she also knew that given how fresh those wounds were, the woman didn’t need a lecture or a firm voice. She needed compassion.

Regina waited beside the toilet. The first aid kid in her hands. Petra entered slowly. When she saw the kit she gave an agitated sigh.

“This is really unnecessary. I—”

“Please don’t. I know you’re a grown woman who can very well take care of yourself, but it seems you’ve been doing a piss poor job of that lately. I can’t just let you into my home and allow you to walk around with painful bruises all evening. Camila brought you here for a reason. A reason I cannot help but assume is related to your injuries. So let me help you clean up…please?” Regina stood as unobtrusively as possible, her hands on the first aid kit, though they longed to be tending to the wounds on Petra’s face for reasons quite unknown to her.

They locked eyes and a small stand off began. Regina knew this dance all too well. She knew just howmuch Petra wanted to be seen asstrong and unaffected. Though she knew virtually nothing about the woman, she could tell they were kindred spirits in that way. And with that spirit came a number of problems. The one most prevalent to this scenario being their dislike of assistance.

But Regina also knew Petra needed her help more than she wanted to admit. She was in more pain than she knew what to do with.

A truce was called just as suddenly as the stand off was started. Petra seemed to deflate. She clutched her side and pushed the lid of the toilet down to sit on. She winced before pulling off her glasses with a deep breath.

“Fine.” She conceded.

The first touch was electric. It was a simple graze. As Regina moved to clean off the makeup that was attempting—but failing—to cover the bruising, her fingertips grazed against her top lip. They both shivered. Regina’s eyes widened, her breathing sped upand she tried as hard as she could to ignore the racing of her heart the closer they stood to each other. Her eyes were glued to Petra’s plump lips, and she just barely held back from caressing them with the pad of her thumb.

xxx

It didn’t take long to fix Petra up. Regina let out a small sigh as she stood up straight and observed her work. Already, the discoloration looked better. Not to mention the pain filled expression Petra had seemed to wear since the moment she stepped into the house was mostly gone. It was attributed to the cracked ribs now carefully wrapped only a few minutes ago.

All around, Petra looked less pale and more human as she stood.

“Thank you Regina…truly.”

“You’re very welcome. I just—I can’t help but wonder, will this all be in vain?”

“What do you mean?”

“Will he just do it again? The man who did this to you the first timearound. You don’t deserve to be in something like that. No-one does. If you need help I know a few places now that I’m more familiar with the area.”

Petra interrupted her impassioned speech with a halting hand and a small, amused smile. “This isn’t what it looks like mate.”

“If you say something stupid like ‘I fell into a door’ or better yet ‘I tripped down the stairs’ I’ll scream.”

“No—it’s nothing like that. I well…it’s kind of embarrassing.”

“No matter how embarrassing it is, I promise you it will help settle my mind if that’s consolation.” Regina replied. She could hear the genuine concern in her voice and the pain. It was obvious that she was troubled by what she’d presumed to the circumstances behind Petra’s injuries.

“I got into a bar fight. This guy…let’s just say he wouldn’t take no for an answer. I got really angry—which wasn’t helped by the drinks I had inmy system at that point—and punched him. He punched me back and we got into it. It was intense but not the worst thing I’ve ever experienced. He looks worse off though, trust me.”

Regina blushed. Embarrassment crept up her spine as she began to realize just how much she’d revealed of herself by her reaction. She cleared her throat and stood as far away as possible. She wrapped her arms around herself.

“I’m happy to hear it wasn’t anything like what I was thinking. I apologize for the presumption.”

“Don’t apologize. I appreciate the concern.” They locked eyes again and this time Regina swore she saw a hint of the embers of whatever feelings that were brewing inside reflected back. But then the trance seemed to break as someoneknocked on the bathroom door.

A little voice spoke. “Mama says dinner’s done.” Emilie said.

“We’ll be right out.” Regina assured. She swallowed down the disappointment before opening the door and heading out.

Dinner was calm. There was little talk of business while Emilie was awake, so they simply enjoyed having dinner like a group of friends. Regina enjoyed herself immensely and more than she expected enjoyed Petra’s presence in their home. She had this hard exterior about her, juxtaposed by the sweetness in her tone when she spoke to Emilie or the gentle way she took the dishes and cleaned them as a thank you.

After Emilie went to sleep though, the business talk was broken out. They sat back down at the dining room table and broke out contracts and paperwork fo all sorts. Apparently, at the hotel Camila and Petra had come to an agreement. It seemed Petra was truly interested in working with them to build the winery into something special—even going as far as to agree to moving from her home country of Australia to France. It was exciting to see the pieces of their dream fall into place in reality.

They sipped on expensive liquor near the end of the night, and they were well and truly on their way to tipsyby the time Petra was ready to go. She gave the cutest little hiccup as she walked towards the door.

“This was….much more fun than I thought it would be. Thank you. I’m excited to get to work more with you both.” She smiled. As she spoke, her eyes were glued to Regina. Regina stared back, the alcohol bringing out the seductive nature in her that head been dormant for far too long. God, what shewouldn’t give to have Petra stay the night. What she wouldn’t give to blow off some steam in between the sheets of a luxurious hotel room’s sheets and wake up in the morning to breakfast in bed. But they were both well andtruly drunk and any decisions made in this state would end only in disaster.

“It has been fun. I hope you’re going to be alright going back to the hotel in a car. Are you sure you don’t want to stay the night in the guest room?”

In truth, the guest room was far from ready for any visitors, but Petra didn’t need to know that. And she certainly didn’t need to know that Regina would have gladly offered up her bed and her arms for the blonde to sleep peacefully in.

Petra gave a sloppy wave. “I’ll be fine. By the time I get out in the fresh air and to the hotel I’ll be mostly sober. I’ll see you soon. Both of you. I just need to wrap a few things up in AUS then we can get this train moving. I imagine it will be about a month.”

“That sounds perfectly reasonable.” Regina said, her tone low and husky. A side effect of the alcohol and her growing need. She licked her lips. Petra pupils dilated, her mouth hung open the tiniest bitas she watched Regina’s tongue. She cleared her throat before looking away.

“Wonderful. I’ll call you in the morning if I’m still alive.” They all chuckled.

“Have a good night.” Camila called out.

“You as well.” Petra replied before stumbling to the taxi waiting for her near the gate. As soon as the car pulled off the property and the door was closed, Camila pounced on Regina.

She was giggly whenintoxicated and she had a habit of whispering for no reason.

“You like her.” Camila whispered.

“Yes. And you like her as well.”

Camila shook her head emphatically. “Not in the way _you_ like her. _You_ want to kiss her and hold her hand and fuck. I just want to steal the clothes out of her closet and maybe hug her sometimes. You _like_ like her.”

Regina rolled her eyes at the juvenile behavior. But she couldn’t deny it. “Maybe. But that has nothing to do with anything. As much as I like her, I doubt she’d be interested in me.”

“Why not?”

“I…I’ve got a lot of baggage. And I’m not the best at love. It would be better for us to remain friends, no matter how much I wish that was not the case.”

Camila opened her mouth to protest, but after a moment or two decided against badgering any further. They stumbled up the stairs and into their designated bedrooms for the night without another word.

If Regina woke with Petra’s name on her lips and a telling wetness between her thighs, no-one had to know.

xxx

Construction started on the winery about two weeks after litigation. Sergio briefly and idiotically attempted to contest Camila’s attempts at utilizing the plot for a business and even at one point tried to sue for a share in the company—attemptswhich failed thanks to Petra’s diligence. After some discussion, it was decided the inside of the actually winery would be renovated and downscaled. It didn’t need to be so big and cluttered. It was a beautiful space that deserved to be shown off. So they would.

They hit the jackpot to a certain degree when it came to the already existing planted grape vines. They were in great condition and of the highest quality, so the wine was bound to be amazing.

The first day of construction, Regina and Camila came to the sight to observe and help as much as they could. Petra came unexpectedly a few hours after they arrived, bearing gifts. She strode up to them with a warm but shy smile on her face, holding out a bag of what looked like pretzels.

“I hope you’re hungry. I was on my way to my new flat when I saw this place and thought you guys. I have a little doggy bag for Emilie too.” She held up a little container of food that looked utterly divine. Camila nearly snatched the bag out of Petra’s hand and stuck her hand inside. She moaned at the first taste of good pretzel and stalked away to eat it in peace.

Both Regina and Petra laughed at her antics. Regina carefully took an offered pretzel and took a bite out of it just as Petra spoke.

“How are things going over here?”

She swallowed down the buttery goodness. “Well. The workers are skilled and they think this place should be up and running in a few weeks. But that’s the easy part. The truly hard part is figuring out way to promote ourselves to the masses and create a brand.”

“True.That is quite difficult but I have faith in you.” The words made Regina blush.

“Why thank you. How are you settling in?”

As expected, Petra had made the decision to move from Australia to France a week ago. She had found a flat during her first visit and was in the process of moving into it and beginning her new life. She gave a smile at the mention of her new living situation.

“We’re settling in great. The space is nice and cozy and it’s got two spares rooms we canuse as offices which is nice. I’m more excited than I thought I would be.”

Regina wanted to move on. She wanted to just say something nice and keep it moving but she was so stuck on the word ‘we’ she couldn’t think straight. “We?” She questioned.

Petra’s smile brightened. “Yes. My wife and I. Her name’s Iris. She’s a doll truly—and a trooper. Here she is.” She pulled her phone out and picked a picture of a small blonde woman with a bright smile and mischievous hazel flecked blue eyes. She was stunning. Seductive in a way that was so natural and understated, yet still managing to be absolutely adorable. The beauty of her lessened the pain Regina felt as she saw her shot of having anything to do with Petra romantically officially get shot down.

Regina gulped and pushed a smile to her face. “She’s beautiful. I’m glad you both are settling in. Let us know if you need anything. And feel free to have Iris as a guest here any time. I look forward to meeting her.”

And she did, though not any time soon.

She needed to get her shit together and stop lusting after married women. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We met Petra finally, so next up is Iris. I can't wait to explore the early years of their relationship and the journey of how they all ended up together. Thank you for reading!


	5. First Impressions: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that my job has officially shut down and I am practicing social distancing I'll hopefully have more time to do this. I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe and healthy. ❤️

Building a business from virtually the ground up was a tedious task, but one that was exciting in its own way. With Petra’s expertise, Regina’s enthusiasm and Camila’s commitment to the new endeavor, overseeing the reconstruction of a formerly affluent winery was going smoothly.

It took a few weeks for things to really get moving, but once they did the momentum was hard to ignore.

Emilie started school a week after construction began. She was a ball of nerves at the prospect of being around so many unfamiliar faces, but she managed with a permanent scowl and an air of confidence that Regina was a little too proud of. After dropping her off at school, Regina and Camila headed straight to the winery.It was odd to not hear the chattering mix of French and accented English from the backseat. She’d been just as excited as them recently, though she didn’t fully understand how long this endeavor would last, she knew it was hard work and made a point to be supportive in her own little ways. By being as independent as possible, as easy to manage as possible and—despite her reservations about school—as pleasant as possible.

Construction was almost complete, but the next phase of the process would prove to be more difficult than the others. It had been an uneventful process for the most part. They’d lucked out in terms of location, as the structure of the winery was intact for the most part and really only needed a few tune ups and changes. The vineyard was growing steadily and would soon be bale to yield its first batch of grapes.

Once a week, Petra would come to check on their progress and give advice. It just so happened that today was one of those days. (It had taken too much convincing for Regina to resist the urge to dress up for her.)

When they arrived at the winery, they were greeted—per usual—by the construction team. They were a group of burly Italian men with wide smiles and hardly any English but they were kind. Regina was greeted at the gate with a smile and a cup of espresso.

Petra was waiting in the office—a new addition that was still being furnished but was nice enough for now—and she wasn’t alone. A small blonde haired woman sat beside her and when the door opened they both of them turned around to look at the newest arrivals. Petra’s smile was bright and when she stood Regina felt weak in the knees.

“Bonjour! I hope you don’t mind me bring a guest, I just knew the construction was going so smoothly and I wanted to share the good news with Iris.”

At the mention of her name, Iris blushed and looked away for a brief moment, then she held out her hand for Regina to shake. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about.” She said. Her voice was lighter than Regina had expected. Softer but no less attractive. Regina cleared her throat and shook her hand carefully. It was hard to focus on making words comet of her mouth when she was thoroughly distracted by the beauty in front of her.

Where Petra was all hard lines and stony stares, Iris was soft smiles and just sheer…softness. She was a bit shorter than Regina, and smaller in almost every way. Her hair was a light blonde that fell well beyond her shoulders. Her bridge of her aquiline nose was covered in tiny freckles. Her eyes were large and so warm, blue with flecks of hazel. Regina cleared her throat to make an attempt at acting like a normal person.

“The pleasure is all mine I assure you. I know this is all quite…sudden. We’re just thankful that you have been so flexible and open to this business opportunity.”

“I can’t pass up a good opportunity.” She giggled and her freckle covered nose scrunched up the tiniest bit. Fuck, how was it possible the gods let two sinfully gorgeous women be together? Iris was gentle and warm in a way that made Regina want to curl around her and never let go. Petra was hard, yet encompassing in a way that made Regina want to get lost but also be found. She took in adeep breath. Romantic interest was not was she needed right now. As a matter of fact, it was the very last thing she needed. Especially not with two women married to _each other_.

They chatted for a few minutes before Camila left to assist someone with something and Regina left to oversee the planting of a new crop of grape vines.

As she helped plant this new investment in her future, she made a vow to herself to keep her distance. As much as she wanted to explore whatever tension was between her and Petra—not to mention the tiny spark between her and Iris—it was inappropriate and necessary. She came here to learn from her mistakes, not repeat them.

She had to do better.

xxx

As it turned out, avoiding your business partner because you were incredibly attracted to them was a lot more difficult than Regina thought. They saw each other once a week, and at least once a week on one of the days leading up to Petra’s visit, Regina had a crisis of some sort wherein she wondered just what was wrong with her—to make her want married blonde women so badly. But, by the time Petra’s visit came around—Regina was always visibly fine even if afterwards Camila would have to talk her off a ledge.

“Here’s the address.” Petra simply said scaring Regina out of her wits and siphoning a tiny gasp from her. She dropped a small posted note on Regina’s desk. They’d recently renovated another room to create an office for Regina. Now that the major construction was done, it was time to create a place aesthetically pleasing as well fiscally. Regina looked up at the tall blonde, confusion and amusement warring on her features.

“Address to what?”

“Our flat. Now that the business is almost up and running, Iris thought it would be nice to have a small dinner. Does tomorrow night work for you?”

On first instinct, Regina wanted to decline—but she knew it would look suspicious and in all honesty she _wanted_ to go. She like spending time with Petra. She didn’t see Iris often because of her work schedule, but Petra was a newly frequent addition to her life. When Regina wasn’t having to scold herself internally for feelings she felt were both in and out of her control, shethoroughly enjoyed her time with Petra. She was smart as a whip, and wise. She knew so much but at the same time seemed to be unaware of her affect on other people in the best way. Emilie adored her, as did Camila.

Regina could surely imagine a long term friendship coming out of this. A long term portion of their lives spent together as friends. And Regina was both dreading and looking forward to it. She’d just gotten away from a similar situation, she didn’t need to fall right back into another one.But maybe it was too late? Maybe she was already in too deep? She tried not to think too much on it.

She cleared her throat. “That sounds wonderful. I’ll take it up with Camila when we get home.”

“I’ve already asked her. She said tomorrow works fine for her. See you then!” She gave a small salute and an attempt at a wink before walking away. Regina’s heart didn’t stop racing until she took a sip of one of the newer batches of wine.

When she arrived home—and still, despite the fact that it was creeping up on a year of her time in France, it was incredibly jarring to recognize the fact that Regina considered France her home. She’d thought her days of having a home and an uncomplicated family were over, but it seemed she was wrong. At least for the time being. Until she spilled the beans on her truth and the fact that she was once a murderous queen who possessed magic capable of doing things far out of the realm of possibility in this world—she only made it to the foyer before flipping her shit.

Why the hell had she said yes to being in Petra’s home for an extended period of time?! Why was she such a masochist that she made sure to put herself in the worst situation possible right now? Having to pretend that she dint want to press her lips to Petra’s at work was hard enough, but seeing her in her element around her wife and in a more casual environment would only make things worse.

“Regina? What’s wrong?” Camila questioned from the stairway. She was dressed in proper after work attire—a sweatshirt, sleep shorts and slippers. Regina could smell the fragrance of spices and meats coming from the kitchen,signifying dinner was done. But her appetite simply wasn’t there. All she wanted to do right now was hide under her covers like a lovesick teenager and wish for her own end.

“I accepted Petra’s invitation to dinner tomorrow.” She quietly confessed.

Camila’s eyes lit up. “Really? That’s wonderful! I think it will be such a nice evening. I can’t wait to get to know Iris more. And seeing Petra outside of work will be nice too.”

“As nice as it will—it will also be detrimental to my health!” Regina exclaimed.

“In what way?”

“In the way that means I will most likely fall fully head over for her instead of being simply attracted to her!” Her voice cracked as she reached a pitch she hadn’t visited in a long time. Regina blushed slightly and it deepened when Camila sighed and took her hand.

“I understand that this is a difficult situation to be put in. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if the first person I was attracted to and interested in after a long term relationship was married and therefore completely unavailable.”

“I wasn’t in a long term relationship.” Regina rebutted. 

Camila quirked an eyebrow at Regina, but didn’t say a word. “ I think in order for you to grow, you need to learn how to cope with this. How to work past it. That will benefit you in the long run.”

“It probably will…but I don’t even know here to start to heal from all that’s happened over the past few years.”

“You can start, by trusting yourself.” Camila suggested quietly.

Regina had never actually trusted herself or her instincts. She’d done things impulsively for as long as she could remember, but never solely based on her instincts and her trust in them. Right now was not the time to experiment in that. As much as she wanted to move on and heal from all the damage she’d done to herself and let done to her over the past few years, she also didn’t want to destroy the beautiful thing she had going on right now.

xxx

They took Camila’s new car to Petra and Iris’ flat. Following the divorce proceedings, it had been agreed that Sergio would provide a certain monthly stipend to help maintain Emilie’s life and Camila’s wellbeing for at least a year after the initial divorce. Since the house didn’t exactly require lots of upkeep and most of that was done now anyway, Camila had stashed the cash and used it to buy herself a small yet fashionable car.

Before leaving the house, Regina had spent nearly an hour pacing her room looking at all the clothes she’d bought earlier in the day specifically for the dinner party. She didn’t want to look too much like her _old_ self—all harsh lines and dark colors—becauseshe wasn’t that woman anymore. That woman—Madam Mayor, as she’d begun to call her—would always be apart of Regina but would, for the moment, take a backseat and make way for the real Regina. Which was part of the problem. She didn’t know how to dress this Regina. The real, softer version underneath all the layers of armor. Should she wear jeans and a shirt or a nice dress? And if she wore a nice dress, how nice was too nice? She didn’t want to be overdressed, but she also didn’t want to seem like she put no effort into her look.

God, this was awful. She hadn’t missed this back and forth—uncertainty at all since leaving Storybrooke. The only difference in this version was that it didn’t hurt as much. There wasn’t a sea of history keeping her from being happy. It was now just Regina and her poor decisions.

It took much longer than it should have to pick a dress. In the end, she was skating too close to the time they had to leave, so she did something she never thought she’d do—close her eyes and reach out. Her hand landed on a simple light gold wrap dress. It was form fitting and simple but not too casual. Perfect.

When she was dressed and made up—her hair pulled up in a simple bun, her makeup light and delicate borderline natural looking and strapped heels that would most likely come off the second she got through the door—Regina made her way down the stairs.

As soon as she came in the view of Camila and Emilie, a wolf whistle echoed.

“ _Vous cherchez bien!_ (Looking good!).” Camila exclaimed. Regina blushed under the attention.

“Thank you. I’m sorryI took so long.”

“If you look this good every time you come out of your room for that long I’ll be sure to give you more time next time.” Camila joked before taking her hand and Emilie’s and leading them to the car.

Petra and Iris lived in the city. Not too far into the busiest parts of Provence, but still busier than the virtual farmhouse Regina was used to. When they arrived inside the apartment building, a man dressed in an impeccable suit was waiting for them.

“ _Êtes-vous Ives-Mills?_ (Are you the Ives-Mills’?)”He questioned.

“ _Oui. Oui nous sommes. Je suppose que vous êtes ici au nom d'Iris et Petra Kent?_ (Yes. Yes we are. I presume you’re here on behalf of Iris and Petra Kent?) ” Camila asked with a small smile.

“ _Je suis. Venez de cette façon._ (I am. Come right this way.)” He said with a wave of his hand. They followed after him cautiously. The building was a fancy one, but that was to be expected. Before arriving here, Petra had had a lucrative career in Australia. Not much was known about Iris’s work outside of the fact that she was a university professor.

Still, it was no secret that they both were well off. they’d moved form Australia to France in aheartbeat after all.

The concierge escorted them up to a simple door with an ornate number 70 on the front. He rang a bell then turned to them. “ _J'espère que vous apprécierez le reste de votre nuit. Au revoir.”_ (I hope you enjoy the rest of your night. Good bye.) He gave them a small smile before leaving them.

Just as he entered the elevator to head back down to the lobby, the door opened to reveal Iris. She looked gorgeous in a simple green dress. She pulled them all into hugs and the traditional kisses on the cheek when she recognized their faces.   
  
“I’m so happy you all could make it! I’m so excited to have you here! Come in, come in!” She said, practically pulling them inside the flat. It was beautiful. Even more so than the rest of the building. It was decorated in lavish, but elegant stylings. The couch was a deep, dark blue—as were a few of the chairs in the living room. Petra was in the kitchen, which had marble counter tops and light wood. She smiled when she noticed her wife and their visitors.

“Bonjour! Nice to see you all. Come sit, take off your shoes and drink! No need to be so formal.”

Emilie listened without question, plopping herself on the couch beside Iris and talking her ear off about her new school in both French and English to Iris’s slight horror. Camila sat at the kitchen island and poured the wine they’d brought for the occasion. Regina was the last to get comfortable, though it wasn’t hard to settle when the entire house was comfortable.

Regina tried to let go of herself. To stop being so self conscious and aware of her every movement. But she was afraid that would translate into being aware of Petra’s every movement. And she did _not_ need to be ogling the woman right in front of her wife.

After a glass of wine, it was easier to enjoy their time together. Iris was an amazing host. Calm and reassuring and attentive. Though most of her attention went to Emilie, as the girl seemed taken with her. Petra was—to Regina’s surprise—the tiniest bit awkward without Iris’ buffer. She had a dry wit that Regina appreciated and a sense of humor in general that made her almost spit up wine more than once.

The night went smoothly, but by the third drink Regina was looser and less inhibited than she’d ever been around Petra or even Camila. It got even worse after dinner—which was a beautifully roasted chicken with a side of seasoned vegetables. The good food sent Camila and Emilie went to the living room to play a card game with Iris, while Petra and Regina staid to clear the dishes.

“Tonight was extremely fun. Thank you for having us.” Regina said as she cleaned a small serving dish.

“Any time. It’s nice to finally have friends over. We didn’t have many in Australia unfortunately but Iris is a social butterfly. I’m glad we met such amazing guests.”

Regina blushed at the sincerity of the words, and continued cleaning.

“It’s nice to be a guest. We don’t have many friends here since most of Camila’s old friends haven’t kept in contact since the divorce and since I…left my hometown.”

“Why’d you leave? and what made you come here of all places?”

“I…it’s complicated. Let’s just say it was…better for my own sake that I leave. My son is in college and my sister and niece are thriving. I knew I was only going to wilt if I stayed there.” She finished a plate, dried it quickly then put it away.

“You have a son?” Petra questioned. She passed another dirty plate Regina’s way, and she began to clean it without hesitation.

“Yes. I adopted him when he was a baby. He’s 18 now. But it feels like I was just raising him yesterday.”

“From what I understand you’ll never stop raising them. The degree only lessons over time. And right now, you’re multitasking between raising him from a distance and finding yourself again.” As she finished speaking,Regina finished cleaning another plate. When she handed it back for drying, their fingertips brushed. They both froze and let you a sharp gasp.

The jolt of electricity that flowed up their bodies at the contact was immeasurable. It was sensational in a way so rarely given description. But Regina had felt it once before. What felt like a long long time ago now. But that didn’t matter. And in a way neither did this. Petra was taken and so was Emma. Tears burned at the backs of her eyes. Regina pulled away.

“How did you know?” She questioned lightly though the choked nature of her tone took the amusement out of the words.

“I…I don’t know. It’s just…in the way you carry yourself. It’s in the way you act and how you speak. Like you were once confident but aren’t now. And I can’t imagine why. You’re magnificent.” Petra quietly said. Neither of them noticed the closeness only growing more and more pronounced.Their shoulders were brushing. Their breaths tickling each others skin.

“I’ll keep that in mind next time I meet someone new. I didn’t realize I was such an open book. I’ve never been an open book before. I’ve always found open books to be garish. I’ve always preferred the mystery and excitement of discovery.” Regina whispered. Her heartbeat was speedingup. She could feel herself leaning into Petra, but couldn’t find it in herself to stop.

“I feel the same way. Which is why I find it so exciting to know that the mystery that is Regina Mills has become one step harder to unravel.”

Regina chuckled and turned to make her point more poignant, not realizing Petra was already so close. Their lips were a breath away from touching. Neither of them moved.

“It’s much easier than you’d think to unravel me. I assure you.” Regina breathed. They moved the tiniest bit closer, the pull of attraction and something otherworldly bringing them closer, only for reality to come crashing down again.

“Petra! Darling, can you come deal? I think Camila’s cheating.” Iris called, her words followed by a chorus of giggles.

Petra and Regina pulled away. The taller woman looked towards the living room, and after clearing her throat answered her wife. “I’ll be out in a moment love” She replied. It took all of Regina’s strength to keep her tears at bay.

“I’ll finish up in here. You go.” Regina said, nearly silent but practically a yell in the still silence of the kitchen. Petra simply nodded and went to the living room. The second she was far enough away, Regina let a tear slip down her face. She wiped it away quickly, but the damage was already done. Both metaphorically and physically.


	6. The Tendency to Self Destruct

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long. I hadn't meant to take a break after finish About Time but the quarantine happened shortly after and that hit me hard. I didn't realize how much I relied on going to work to keep me motivated and get me out of bed and away from the urge to sleep all day. It's been rough but I'm finally getting back on track. I hope you all are doing well! Practicing social distancing and staying as safe as you can. Thank you to all who commented on About Time and read the final chapter. If you haven't read it yet, go read it! I love it a lot. Then come read this one and comment cause I missed you guys 🥺

It took Regina much longer than it should have to notice the questioning eyes following her.

The weather was getting warmer, and she hadn’t anticipated that when she’d gotten dressed earlier that morning. So, she’d been forced about halfway through observing the new batch of grape vines to rip off her sweater and wrap it around her waist, exposing the thin white tank top underneath. Once the heat had stopped being such a nuisance, Regina’s focus returned 100% back toher job.

Until someone cleared their throat above her.

Regina jumped and gave a tiny yelp before looking up.

Iris stood above her, the sunlight casting a halo of light around her beautiful face. Her hair was pulled back into a low bun and the freckles on her shoulders were on full display in the off the shoulder top she wore. She was smiling. Her nose scrunching up in a way that was _so fucking cute._ She seemed a tiny bit hesitant, but she pushed through. “I know you’re busy, but I couldn’t help but notice that you haven’t taken your lunch yet. Do you want to grab something with me?” She questioned. Her little smirk gave the impression of a confidence Regina knew was false, but that fact made her request all the more endearing.

“I’d love to.” Regina replied before allowing herself to think about it much. Iris was safe. Iris was a wonderful, warm person who was a comforting presence to Regina even at the worst of times. And she was safe. The burning chord of desire lingering between Petra and Regina was virtually nonexistent between her and Iris.

The past few weeks had been challenging to say the least. Regina kept her distance as much as she could, but it was hard to do so without looking suspicious and alerting both Petra and Iris to the pain that was almost constantly brewing inside her. It was an all too familiar pain.

Luckily, Camila easily picked up on her distress. She made sure to distract Petra on the days she came to visit and made arrangements for Regina to shown the basics of tending to grape vines and preparing them for wine. Regina fell head first into the task. It was all encompassing in the best way, caring for the vines and tending to them in a way she didn’t know how to do for herself.

More and more frequently, Petra would bring Iris along to her visits. The woman was nothing but pleasant and despite Petra’s hesitance to disrupt the fortress of peace and quiet Regina formed around herself, _she_ was not afraid. She would often speak to Regina when she knew she wasn’t too busy,or on the days Regina was not up to talking—which was often unfortunately—she sat beside Regina and read in silence. Just her presence was a comfort, but all too often it filled Regina with guilt.

Which was why Regina didn’t hesitate to say yes. Iris was the safest out of the pair and in all honesty, Regina couldn’t resist the urge to spend more time withher.

“Just let me clean up a bit and we can head out.” Regina said. A slow smile began to creep up on her face as excitement filled her.

Iris nodded with a relieved smile. “I’ll meet you in the parking lot.” She replied with a squeeze of Regina’s hand just before walking away. The touch sent a shiver up Regina’s spice but she ignored it.

It didn’t take Regina long to get changed—as she made a habit of keeping a change of clothes in her office after the first time she dirtied her work clothes and had to wait until the end of a twelve hour dayto be rid of the dirt. She threw on a spare off white henley and jeans, then grabbed her purse and coat.

Just as promised, Iris was waiting near the gate of the winery. At Regina’s presence, she gave a smile.

“Any suggestions?”

xxx

They settled on a bistro a few miles away from the winery. Regina had only been there once before—on one of the weekends she and Camila had been in need of distraction—but Iris had never been. So they piled into Iris’ car and headed off.

Regina had not expected the…tension. From her brief experience with Iris, she’d figured their interactions would continue to be as effortless and easy as they’d always been. But this was…challenging. And not in a way that was especially discouraging. Regina wanted to reach out. She wanted to turn to Iris and really look at her, but she knew if she did she’d be lost. So they sat in relative silence until they reached the bistro.

It was a nice place, with an easy atmosphere and food that was beyond delicious. Regina ordered a simple salad and a mimosa, whereas Iris ordered a croque madam and a cocktail whose french name was too complicated for her to decipher. She sliced it in half the second she got it and placed half on Regina’s spare plate.

They locked eyes. Regina quirked an eyebrow. Iris responded with a glare and the tiniest scrunch of her nose.

“We both know that salad is not going to be enough. This may not be the healthiest of options, but I have a feeling you don’t indulge often enough. You deserve to.” Her voice was quiet but easy. As demanding as her words were,Regina didn’t feel the overwhelming urge to rebel as she normally did.

She blushed and looked down at the delicious sandwich. She could smell the herbs, cheesy goodness and buttery bread and it made her entire body quake with excitement. “ It does look really good…It’s funny—a long time ago I thought I was hard to read. In a fraction of the time it took for the people in my life to find out _one_ personal thing about me, you and your wife have managed to read me like a book.” She confessed in a near whisper.

Iris chuckled and stirred her cocktail. It was small, but so was she. “I think it comes from years of practice. It took me a long time to unravel the mystery that is Petra Kent and once I did, I made a habit of keeping up my practice for the future.”

“How long have you guys been together?” Regina questioned. She was genuinely curious, as she’d known virtually nothing about their relationship despite knowing them for well over two months now.

“Since college. Petra was doing a work study in America when I met her. We fell head over heels fast and..I couldn’t let her go back to Australia alone. So we married in my hometown of Seattle and moved to Australia for her work.”

“You’re American?” Regina questioned incredulously. Her accent told of someone who’d lived all over at one point or another, but Regina hadn’t expected to hear the graceful woman was from America of all places.

“I am. Though I was born in Britain and my mother was British, so my accent has a habit of being a bit wishy washy at the best of times. What about you? I know you said something about Maine but I can’t believe you’re originally from there.” Iris asked, a curious look on her face. When Regina hesitated to answer, Iris took a bite of her half of the sandwich but didn’t dare take her eyes off Regina.

She hadn’t actually considered her ‘cover story’. At least not to this depth. Camila had been happy to take the bare minimum of the story, though it had been understood based on the few comments she’d made over the past few months. But Iris seemed to be a naturally inquisitive woman, someone who didn’t take no or any amount of placating responses for answers. Regina gulped.

“I…I grew up in Europe, but I came to America when I was in my late twenties.” She simply said. It was close enough to the truth that she didn’t feel awful for saying it out loud.

“I can tell. You seem very comfortable in this city, despite the fact that you barely know the language.This city, it’s becoming a part of you. It’s your true home and it’s calling to you. I was a wreck when I found out we were moving here. I scrambled to learn french and to this day I still don’t leave the house without at least one fluent speaker. You on the other hand, seem eager to learn and more than ready. I am quite jealous” Iris explained in an easy tone, her eyebrow quirked the tiniest bit. Regina didn’t respond. She chose to instead take a bite of her sandwich and sip on her own cocktail. Iris gave a small giggle. “I hope I’m not offending you. I just…I can’t help but be curious. I feel like I know so little about you, despite how much I want to know.”

“It’ll take a few more of these” She motioned to her cocktail with a tight smile. “to get anything else out of me.”

Iris squinted at her, her eyebrow still raised in a challenge. Then she nodded and took a sip. After swallowing it down and taking small bite of her sandwich (which was obviously a ploy to get her words together, but not one Regina could really fault her for)she spoke again. “What are you doing tonight?”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. What are you doing tonight?”

“I’m…nothing.” She finally admitted. It wasn’t like she could lie really. Camila would no doubt unintentionally spill the beans tomorrow when asked, so honesty was the only policy.

"Brilliant. Come out with me tonight. Petra’s busy and I fancy a night out. I know a good bar near the flat. Come out with me, have a few drinks and let’s get to know each other a bit.” She said beforebattingher long lashes. Regina resisted the urge to roll her eyes despite her amusement. Iris knew she was irresistible. She knew Regina would be powerless to her charms. And Regina couldn’t even blame her—at least not 100%. 

Regina gave a sigh. “Fine. But I’m warning you now, I’m much less of a light weight than my small frame would suggest.”

“I don’t doubt that. Besides, I’m the lightest of light weights. Everyone’s a heavy weight compared to me. But you’ll see that for yourself in time. Meet me at this address tonight?” She took out a small notebook and wrote down an address in impeccable handwriting. Regina took it with a nod.

They ate the rest of their lunch in excitable silence, stealing looks and giggling between bites like school girls.

xxx

The rest of the day went by in a flash of uncertainty and daydreaming. The grapevines were only so interesting, and Camila and Petra had officially started the difficult process of branding the winery and creating a reputation for it (which was difficult considering they still hadn’t settled on a name yet) which meant Regina was pretty much left alone all day. She picked up Emilie from school and returned with her to the house just in time for Camila to return. She looked

“ _Je suis vraiment désolé d'être en retard. Les gens ne savent pas comment se taire ces jours-ci. Un investisseur potentiel n'arrêterait pas de parler mais - ce n'est pas important._ (I'm so sorry I'm late. People don't know how to shut up these days. A possible investor would not stop talking but—that's not important.)” She rattled off in a frantic tone, before taking in a deep breath to stop the train of erratic thoughts. She looked like she’d had a long day. Her hair was all over the place, her makeup was on the edge of something unsettling and all around she looked like she could use a nap. But she still smiled down at Emilie and Regina. She still gave them her best version herself. “How was everyone’s day?”   
  
For a second, Regina felt guilty about leaving tonight. Camila was obviously exhausted and in need of assistance. Maybe she should cancel. She had other responsibilities to attend to. Camila deserved to rest without having to worry about Emilie. But before she could even begin to make the offer, Camila glared half heartedly. Emilie had just finished her long winded explanation and exposition about her day, so Camila had an opening to scold Regina.

“Don’t you dare! You’re not getting out of your night out no matter how many excuses you create! Iris has been gushing about it all day to Petra—you’d better not back out just because you’re afraid.”

Regina gulped. “I’m not afraid. I haven’t been afraid in years.” She tried to retort, but one heated glare shut her up. She sighed. “Fine. I won’t back out. But are you sure? I know how difficult it is to take care of a child when you’re so exhausted. I’d be more than happy to come home a little early and—”

“Stop Regina.” Camila calmly said. She stepped closer and took Regina’s hand. “You deserve to go out and have a drink with a friend. I’m a parent and I’ve been one for long enough to know how to cope. I’ve dealt with much worse nights of exhaustion and have had to care for my daughter through it all. I know you know this. Besides, she’ll be sleeping for the majority of your time out. Go get ready.”

Regina gave a little sigh. Her subconscious ploy of self destruction—how on brand—had been foiled, so she gave in and began to head up the stairs. Just before she made it to the step, Camila took her hand. She gave it a gentle squeeze. “You’re going to have fun tonight. Don’t worry so much.”

“I’m not worried about whether or not I’m going to have fun….I’m afraid I’m going to have too much fun.” She admitted. Camila gave her a sorrow filled look but reply.

Regina escaped up to her room and spent the next half hour looking around her closet for something suitable. She had plenty of good options, but the problem was that she didn’t want to look _too_ good. She didn’t want to give the appearance that she was trying hard. She wanted to look nice but not _too_ nice. Before, she wouldn’t have batted an eye at being overdressed but it was different now. Regina wanted to make friends and keep them, not intimidate them all into avoiding her.

So picking an outfit proved to be more complicated than normal.

In the end, Regina picked a simple black, long sleeved dress. She straightened her hair and put on a deep red lipstick out of habit. As she walked down the stairs, a wolf whistle echoed from the living room.

“Hey there good lookin!” Camila called in a terrible American accent. Regina snorted at the attempt. “You look amazing Regina!” She complimented.

Regina gave a tiny blush and tried to hide her face behind her hair. “Thank you. If I don’t hurry I’m going to be late so…” She pointed to the door awkwardly. Camila gave a small chuckle then tossed her car keys. Regina caught them quickly.

“Have fun, don’t stay out too late and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She teased with a laugh. Regina rolled her eyes before leaving the house.

xxx

The bar wasn’t very far, and Regina ended up arriving a little bit early.But she wasn’t the only one. As she entered—ignoring the lustful looks thrown her way by many a patron—she spotted a flash of blonde hair at the bar.

Iris was looking around nervously, biting her lips and fidgeting with the martini in front of her. When she spotted Regina, she gave a bright smile. When Regina was close enough, Iris shot up and pulled her into a hug.

“You look stunning! I’m so glad you could make it.” She gushed with a small, relieved sigh. It was then that Regina noticed the empty stool to her right. She took the seat gracefully and as Iris turned to speak the bartender, she didn’t waste a second observing the outfit she’d chosen.

She looked amazing herself.

Her dress was simple and slightly casual.It was a burnt orange color, with a wide brown belt. It was the tiniest bit flowy, but didn’t hit the floor luckily. When she’d ordered another martini for herself and a whiskey sour for Regina. The drinks came quick and they tasted wonderful. The burn of the whiskey sliding down her throat made Regina’s insides curl up in happiness. Iris was observing her with a keen expression and after taking a long sip of her own drink, she spoke.

“It’s nice to finally see you outside of a work environment. I’ve been very curious about you since we met you know.” She admitted.

“Have you?” Regina questioned, her tone lifting as intrigue filled her.

“Not just me. But Petra as well. She couldn’t stop talking about you after she met you.”

The knowledge made her insides squirm. “Interesting.” Regina simply replied. She couldn’t ignore the quirked eyebrow Iris was giving her, but didn’t to give away just how much the knowledge of Petra’s interest in her made her happy.

“I can see why she is so infatuated by you. You’re very…alluring Regina.” Iris’ voice took on a deeper tone, her eyes didn’t stray from Regina’s face but the brunette couldn’t help but clear her throat and look away.Iris was intense. Almost more so than her wife. Whereas Petra’s stare made Regina’s breathing stutter and her skin to flood with goosebumps, Iris’ stare made her melt. It made her insides molten and so damn ripe that it took everything in her not to spill the truth. Only years of practice and self discipline kept Regina from falling apart. She pitied anyone on the receiving end of Iris’ attentions in the past or future who wasn’t strong enough to resist.

Before Regina could struggle to come up with a response, a woman slowly came up behind them. She was a fair bit taller than Iris and Regina, but her entire countenance screamed sweet. Her smile was soft and her eyes were a comforting dark brown.

“Iris Kent? Is that really you?” She questioned playfully. At the sound of the familiar voice, Iris turned around with a happy gasp. She launched herself into the woman’s arms.

“Marcella Garcia! I haven't seen you in such a long time. How have you been?” She questioned excitedly. A rush of something dark and _green_ burned behind Regina’s eyes but she forced herself to ignore it. She had no right to be jealous of this other woman’s presence. Iris was a married woman, and even if she wasn’t—she and Regina were far from romantically involved. Regina was already infatuated with her wife, how awful would it be to admit her attraction to both wives? How selfish and indulgent would that sound?

Regina held back a groan at her own behavior.

“Marcella—this is my new friend Regina. Regina, meet my old uni roommate Marcella Garcia.” Iris’ smile was radiant as she pushed Marcella closer to their little corner of the bar.

Regina held out her hand for a shake. “Regina Mills. It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you as well.”They fell into conversation easy enough. Marcella was just as pleasant as Iris, but their was a knowing glint in her eyes that made Regina nervous.They stayed at the bar for a few hours and Regina thoroughly enjoyed every moment of their time together. She hadn’t had this often in her life. The chance to just sit and make friends. And she was beyond grateful that she’d found some who made her feel so important and heard.

And despite her mind’s natural inclination towards self destruction, she’d do anything in her power to preserve her new friendships.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Iris. I can't wait to explore her more and her early relationship with Regina. Thank you for reading!


	7. Exposing Conversations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I hope everyone's doing well! This is my fav chapter so far I think and i'm excited for you to read it. For those following Let Me In, I'm working on that right now I just have to iron more plot things out so everything fits. I also wanted to take the opportunity to open the floor for any prompts in the About Time universe, whether it is set before Emma comes to France or after. I have a few ideas but I'd like to hear you guy's opinions and ideas. I hope you enjoy!

Apparently, Iris was much more observant than Regina had previously given her credit for. It took her 24 hours to catch on to Regina’s inner feelings. Less then, in all honesty but—unbeknownst to Regina—she’d consulted with Marcella before concocting her ‘plan’.

When the call came in, Regina was lying her in her bed feeling very sorry for herself. Her eyes were glued to the ceiling, her mind was racing as she lamented her love life with a series of loud sighs.She knew it was juvenile. Iris and Petra were married and had been married for longer than Regina had been sane to be quite honest. She was not on their radar. But they were most certainly on hers. She thought of them often. More often than was healthy most likely. The infatuation started with Petra of course, but since last night it seemed to transfer to both women. She was not thinking rationally and she knew that, but Regina had always been a sucker for romance. She’d always been a sucker for attention whether it be healthy or not.

She knew this wasn’t likely to end well, but she didn’t feel like caring at the moment.

Her cell phone blared on the nightstand, causing Regina to jump. She looked over and caught sight of Iris’ name and the contact photo Camila had put in last night. She hesitated to answer, but knew if she didn’t Iris would continue to call her. The woman was persistent in that way. And it was only due to her personable spirit and her warmth in general that the quality was not annoying. That quality on anyone else—namely, Snow White— most likely would have resulted in a mruder on Regina’s behalf. But Iris was much too cute to kill.

With a sigh, Regina sat up and answered.

"Good morning.” She greeted. She tried to sound cheerful, but she knew it was a lackluster greeting at best.

“Good morning! Sorry to disturb you so early,”Iris apologized. Regina glanced over at the clock on her wall. It was 7 in the morning. “but I had a proposition.”

“I’m all ears.” Regina replied.

“Wonderful! Well, it occurred to me last night that I want to get to know you more. I enjoyed our time together. I would like this to be a more regular occurrence. Would you like to come over tonight? Maybe have a drink or two with Petra and I?” She sounded hesitant. Like she was a little unsure of whether or not her words would be accepted.

  
God, Regina knew it was a bad idea to continue to indulge in their presence.She knew it was, but there was no resisting. The word no was not in Regina’s vocabulary when it came to Iris and Petra. “I would love to.” She said with an honestly pleased expression on her face. “That sounds like a good time.” And it did. But it also sounded like the type of time that would only end in heartbreak and a few too many glasses of wine.

But Regina didn’t want to admit just how much they effected her. She was determined to get herself together and reestablish the hardened exterior that she’d once been known for. But she’d worked so hard to shed that persona—did she really want to bring it back? All for the sake of her own heart?

Fuck this was all so annoyingly complicated.

xxx

Regina pulled up to Iris and Petra’s flat for the second time that week, a nervous mess. She pulled down the skirt of her dark blue dress and stepped out of Camila’s car. The doorman gave her a smile once again as she advanced to the desk. “ _Bonjour. Vous êtes belle._ (Hello. You look beautiful.)” He said cheerfully.

“ _Je vous remercie.(_ Thank you.)” Regina gave him small smile. She felt beautiful, which was a rare occurrence. The dress was modest but form fitting. Sleeveless with a mostly high neck and a skirt that cut off right below her knees. She was still trying to keep up the facade that she was 100% together when in reality, it was a miracle if she was even 10% put together.

The elevator seemed to be going slower than usual, and the journey was annoyingly long but when she made it up the floors and towards the door it almost immediately swung open revealing a nervous looking Iris.

She smiled at the sight of Regina. A familiar and comforting smile that Regina was instantly calmed by. “You’re here. Wonderful! Come in, come in!” She gripped Regina’s wrist and pulled her inside. The lights were low. The steady tune of a jazzy, romantic number was playing on the large speaker in the living room. Iris was dressed in a form fitting red dress. The sleeves were thin and the cleavage was abundant. Regina swallowed at the sight of her luscious breasts.

  
“What’s going on?” She asked, casting a suspicious glance towards the rest of the house.

“We’re having drinks remember! Come in, get comfortable.” She beckoned Regina to the couch and placed her on it. Drinks were already set up on the coffee table. Instinctually, Regina took the one nearest to her and fidgeted with the glass rim. Iris took in a deep breath and sat down beside her. She looked nervous and out of sorts, and Regina was quick to attempt to reassure her. But before Regina could open her mouth, the front door opened. Petra stepped in with a confused look on her face. She looked like she was fresh off of work, with her briefcase in hand and a pensive look on her face. She looked between Regina and Iris with a questioning gaze.

She quirked her eyebrows.

“Regina?” She questioned.

“Yes. I—I thought you and Iris organized this before I was invited here?” Regina questioned. Her heart was beginning to pound.

“If we did I have no recollection of it—but in all honesty I would love nothing more than to have your company this evening. Let me go get cleaned up then—

“No no no.” Iris cut in, a slightly frantic look on her face. “There’s no need for that. We need to talk. All three of us.”

Both Petra and Regina cast a suspicious looks her way. Regina’s heartbeat any sped up. The anxiety brewing in her was growing to fever pitch now and if they didn’t get to the bottom of this soon, she’d break down.

“Talk about what?”Petra questioned, though her tone and the stern glare in her eyes told a different story than the one she was projecting. She knew exactly what Iris was referring to, but was just refusing to admit it.

“You know what. Come sit and I can fill Regina in.”

“That’s not a good idea.”

“Not it’s not—its wonderful idea. Trust me. I wouldn’t be doing this with the intention of hurting or ‘exposing’ either one of you. Please.” She held out her hand to her wife, an imploring expression fixed on her face. Petra sighed and took her hand.

“Fine. Just…Fuck I don’t know.”

“Trust me. I’ve got this.” Iris assured her. Petra nodded but didn’t dare meet anyone’s eye. Concern and confusion welled up in Regina. She looked between both women with a questioning gaze.

“What’s going on?”

“We…Petra has a crush on you.” She simply blurted out. Regina’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head and Petra dropped her head into her hands.

She groaned into the palms of her hands. “You make it sound so juvenile.” She complained.

“It’s not juvenile and I know that! I just couldn’t think of another way to say it! Let me finish!” Iris took in a deep breath then turned to look 100% at Regina. “Ok. We haven’t had a formal conversation about this because Petra’s too scared, _but_ I think a solution can be found. As easy one, that can benefit everyone in one way so just…don’t interrupt me…ok?”

Regina nodded but the fear that hit the bottom of her stomach was very hard to ignore.

“Alright. So…Petra is very attracted to you. She’s been trying to hide it and has been trying to ignore but after last night when I found that I too was very attracted to you and in all honesty very fond of you—I thought it best to consider an alternative to simply ignoring our shared attraction…so I spoke to a good friend of mine who would know better than I would about things of this nature. You met her last night actually—Marcella—and she’s recommending we consider…what’s called a polyamorous relationship. Are you familiar with that?”

Regina hesitantly nodded her head. “Wonderful! I have no experience in one and hardly have any knowledge but—I can figure you’re reasonably overwhelmed right now so asking you for an explanation is out of the question. The best course of action I think is to…take this slow. Does anyone have any questions?”

Regina gulped. Before she could open her mouth to asked several of the questions she had in her mind, Petra spoke.

“Regina. Don’t feel pressured to be apart of something you didn’t want to be in. It’s true…I am interested in you but I don’t want you to think a rejection will destroy our business relationship. I don’t expect anything from you other than honesty and I won’t hold it against you.”

Regina was silent for a few moments. She looked between the two women, and when she sensed not an ounce of any negative tension she released a breath. Unfortunately, a tear slipped out of her eye. Regina flinched at its presence but ignored it.

“I…I never said I wasn’t interested.” Petra gave a gasp. Iris’ face lit up in a smile and it hurt to know that her next words would break that smile. “But you deserve to be happy. You deserve someone better. Someone worthy of your attention.” The words were hard to get out, but necessary. She knew that as much as she wanted them, it was a bad idea.

No-one spoke for a few moments.

Regina moved to get up, but Iris took her wrist in her small hand and gripped. “Don’t do that. Don’t. I have no idea what you've gone through to make you think you don’t deserve to be happy, but I can assure you that it’s false.”

“And I can assure you it’s not. The things I’ve done—the people I’ve hurt. I’m a despicable human being and I don’t deserve your attention.”

“No you’re not Regina. I’m a good judge of character. If I had felt an ounce of malice in you I wouldn’t have entertained the idea of opening up my marriage to include you. Whether it be for a short period of time or for a long time.”

The idea of being ‘with’ them in any capacity made Regina’s heart race both with excitement and dread. On one hand she wanted to be free enough enjoy this—whatever it was—but she knew despite all the progress she’d made.

“I can’t.” More tears fell and Regina nearly collapsed as she forced herself to stand up in and move towards the door. Iris was quick to follow her and hold out a hand to steady her, whereas Petra was a bit more hesitant. “I can’t do this. I can’t.” She couldn’t even get the words out. They _hurt_ and she wanted to stop the pain but the only way to do that was to leave.

“You can Regina. Don’t pull away from us. At least not without getting to know us and letting us get to know you.” Petra tried. She was quiet but firm.

“But if you truly get to know me, I know you’ll hate me. And I don’t think I can bare that.” Regina whispered. The tears began to fall even faster the pain in her chest radiated out towards the rest of her body and it nearly broke her. A sob fell from Regina’s lip. More followed and blindly she tried to make her way to thedoor. When her hand touched the doorknob a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist.

“Breathe darling. Just breathe. Let go of the door for me.” Regina did. She let herself be pulled towards the couch. Her nose was pushed into the crook of Petra’s neck, her entire being was calmed by the smell of her perfume. Another tiny sob fell from her lips when Iris’ hand rubbed her back.

“Talk to us Regina. Don’t pull away. We want you with us. But we need you to open up to us. You can trust us.” Iris whispered.

Regina let out a tiny sob and a whimper. “You’re going to think I’m crazy.”

“We won’t. I promise you.”

“From now until you tell us otherwise we will listen and take in what you say to be fact. Will that help?”

Regina gave a small nod. Then she took in a deep breath and let the words out.

She told them everything. For the first time in her entire life,Regina felt safe enough to tell her truth. She started with her childhood—her life under Cora’s thumb and the years of abuse she suffered and only recently was able to identifyas abuse. Then Daniel. Then her marriage and the years spent as Leopold’s play thing. Then her madness, her violent tendencies, her magic—all of it. And they listened. With rapt attention and not an ounce of skepticism they _listened_. Regina could feel Iris’ eyes on her back and the constant pressure of Petra’s hand against the back of her neck made her tremble with gratitude.

When she said all she could say and when she could no longer stand baring her soul for them to see, she fell silent.

And then she waited.

xxx

Neither woman spoke for a long time. Every second of silence filled Regina with dread. She knew it would be easier to face the rejection when she wasn’t in their arms, but she couldn’t bring herself to get up. After about 10 minutes, Petra spoke first.

“You were right…What you just told me sounds like something out of a fairytale and if anyone else had said it, I wouldn’thave believed them. But…because it was you and because I trust you…I will not question you. Atleast not right now. It’s clear you were in a lot of pain long ago and as a result you made poor choices. I’ve made a lot of poor choices in my life as well, though the circumstances were different.”

“That’s code for—I wouldn’t have gone on a years long massacre in search of my step daughter who betrayed me when she was a child.” Regina counted with a self deprecating snort.

“Maybe not, but I can’t exactly blame you. You went through a lot and in essence, you were in the center of a very different world. A monarch going on a killing spree was most likely no uncommon in that time. I’m not saying you were right but if someone had betrayed me and as a result got Iris killed…I don’t think I’d have waited as long as you did.” She gave Regina a small squeeze.

Regina took in a deep breath and nuzzled her face into Petra’s nose. Iriscooed at her—an unexpected sound that made Regina’s heart jump—and rubbed circle over her back again. “Darling. Did you really think we’d want nothing to do with you because of this?”

“I’ve had people think less of me for things much less serious than…all of that.” Regina admitted.

“Then they were not worth your time. You are so much more than your past or the things you’ve done. I don’t think I can express to you just how much I want….this. You’re a human being Regina. A human being I am finding myself being very attracted and attached to.” Petra admitted.

“You may need time to process and I understand that. Once you’re feeling more stable maybe we can take you home and we can all sleep on this. We can make a decision later. It’s been a very emotional few hours.” Iris suggested as gently as she could. Regina lifted her head up and looked over at Iris. The gentleness of her countenance made her feel lightheaded.

“What if I know what I want? Do I have to wait to say it?”

“I don’t want you to…but I think you should. Just so you don’t regret it later.” Iris suggested. She was right. Regina knew that. So she gave a nod and fell into Iris’ arms.

It was more than surprising to easily slip into this ‘mode’. Into this version of herself who was almost never allowed the chance to flourish. They stayed wrapped up in each other, lingering in a soft silence that was so very nice for half an hour before Regina yawned. Petra chuckled. “I think it’s time for you to go home love.”

“Do I have to? Can I…Can I stay here? Maybe sleep on the couch?” She whispered. It took a lot to let herself be vulnerable and speak her truth.

Iris’ eyes lit up at the suggestion. Petra looked like she was seeing something she’d been searching for, for a long time.“That sounds perfect. But you’re not sleeping on the couch. You’ll stay with us in our bed…if you want to that is. No funny business I swear.”

Regina blushed at the thought of what exactly the ‘funny business’ would entail. Petra and Iris led her to their bedroom, but she was much too tired from all her crying and the fallout of her emotional confessions took at the decor.

“I’ll send Camila a message so she won’t worry about you. Ok?” Petra said.

Regina nodded before getting distracted by Iris who had went to get changed. She was in a simple light blue slip, and in her arms was a long sleeved button up shirt. She blushed when regina caught her eye. “I couldn’t think of anything that wouldn’t look like children’sclothes on you. This was the only thing I could find.”

“It’s perfect.” Regina replied before taking it and instinctually slipping her dress down her body. She heard a gasp behind her as her lacy lingerie was revealed. She’d forgotten all about that. There was no hiding it now and the attention of both Petra and Iris was more than flattering. Reginas slowly buttoned up the shirt then slipped into bed between Iris and Petra.

She could hear Petra’s heart being a frantic rhythm and she could hear Iris’ uneven and no doubt aroused breathing, but neither of them made a move. And despite how much she wanted to do dirty things with them, she was grateful to know the they could read her well enough to know that she wasn’t ready.

As she fell asleep, surrounded by their warm embrace and comforted by the sounds of their breathing, a sense of contentment fell over Regina.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Hopefully if I can get myself together Let Me In should be updated very soon as well as something else special enjoy your weekend!


	8. Morning Musing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More fluffy goodness between the three ladies. I love them and love writing them. I'm currently fixing up some oneshot ideas for their relationship both post About Time and probably during. If you have anything you want to see let me know either here or on my tumblr. I hope you enjoy!

Regina woke the next morning in the middle of the softest and most comforting embrace she’d experienced in a long time. Possibly for the first time in her life in all honesty. She knew her love for Daniel had been a pure one and a near perfect one—at least in 16 year old Regina’s eyes—but she’d changed since then. Her needs and desires had drastically shifted since her first encounter with love and she hadn’t been sure when Petra had confessed her feelings and Iris had expressed her won, that she’d be able to give into this. The soft pull of a new love seemed so distant. And on any other day, Regina would have panicked at the feeling of having two people’s arms around her. But from the moment she eased into consciousness, she knew she was safe.

Iris was at her back, her arms and legs wrapped around Regina in a way that was all together adorable. Petra held the back of Regina’s head with a gentle touch. One that was just on the right side of firm. Regina felt safe and held. They were facing each other and their lips were a breath’s space apart. Regina swallowed hard and tried not to think too much about how close she was to these very attractive women, but her body was not cooperating. Her nipples were rock hard. Arousal pooled between her thighs and knew she there was no way she wasn’t trembling. Iris snuggled into her back and pressed a kiss to her neck.

“We’re here darling, don’t fuss. You’re safe.” She whispered before stretchinglike a cat and giving the most adorable squeak. It was clear she was easing herself into consciousness. Regina stiffened the tiniest bit at the prospect of having to hide her arousal, but Iris didn’t let her be tense for long. She pressed up against Regina even further and smiled against the back of her neck. She pressed another kiss then sat up to look down at Regina.

Her smile was radiant.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?” She questioned.

Regina nodded. She looked up into Iris’ big blue eyes and nearly melted. “Yes. I slept better than I have in a while. Thank you for letting me stay.”

“Of course. It’s a pleasure having your company. It feels…right to have you with us. I knew it would.”

“It feels right to be here.” Regina admitted quietly. Iris blushed and leaned forward the tiniest bit. Her hair tickled Regina’s cheek as she leaned the tiniest bit closer.

“Would it be alright if I kissed you? You can say no but I just…I want to show you how much I enjoy having you here with us and how much I look forward to being able to cherish you.” Iris whispered unsurely.

Regina gulped but nodded. Her gaze flickered down to Iris’ lips. They looked so soft. They were pulled into the tiniest nervous smile and Regina licked her lips at the thought of tasting it.

Iris took it slow. Her breathing was shaky but her gaze was determined. Their eyes slipped closed as their lips finally touched.

She tasted of sleep, wine and warmth. Regina couldn’t hold back a small moan and didn’t hesitate to deepen the kiss. God, she wanted Iris to devour her. She wanted to get lost in the smaller woman’s warmth, lost in the sounds of pleasure that escaped her plump lips. But, Regina knew she wasn’t ready. She knew that engaging in such an activity would be detrimental to the progress of…whatever this was—but her body had been neglected for far too long. Not just of any sexual activity but of _intimacy._ Regina was ravenous and being so close to two very attractive women was not conducive to self restraint.

Just as Regina slipped her tongue between Iris’ lips and hummed, the woman pulled away. She was panting and wiggling as if to stave off her own arousal. She took in a deep breath and when she opened her eyes again they were full of lust. But she didn’t make a move. She only rested her hand on Regina’s and squeezed before standing up.

“What do you like to eat for breakfast?”

Regina was stunned for a few seconds. She couldn’t believe the sudden shift in moods, but in all honesty was happy to have a moment to collect herself for the most part. “Anything but blood sausage. My h—I ate way too much of it for a long time let’s just say.” She swallowed down the mention of Leopold as fast as she could.

Iris giggled and gave a nod. “Not blood sausage then—got it. Take your time getting up. You can grab one of my robes or shorts if you get chilly. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” She pressed her lips to Regina’s in a sweet kiss, then placing one on Petra’s cheek before running off to the kitchen.

Regina didn’t dare move. As much as she wanted to hide in the bathroom and try to ignore what she confessed last night—she knew Petra wouldn’t let her. Even with Iris occupied, Petra seemed to sense Regina’s flighty temperament. She closed her arms around Regina’s waist and pressed her even closer. Her touch was as much of a confusing fusion as Iris’.On one hand, Regina felt sparks of arousal and excitement travel up and down her spine—but on the other hand, she was calmed and comforted by the feel of Petra’s skin on her own.

She let herself get lost for a few moments. Her eyes slipped closed once again and she listened to the comforting sounds of Petra’s steady breathing and Iris’ slightly off tuned humming as she cooked.

Before she knew it, she was fast asleep once again.

xxx

Regina woke again the kisses to her neck and cheeks. She blushed under the attention that was no doubt Petra’s doing, but didn’t make it very far into hiding her face in the pillow before she was pulled out from her hiding spot.

“Come now love. It’s time to wake up. Iris has slaved over the stove for us and we should repay her by stuffing our faces.” Her tone was full of amusement and Regina couldn’t resist the urge to open her eyes and look up at her smiling face. She looked so different than the woman Regina usually saw. She was gentler, less guarded. Without makeup, Petra looked much more innocent, much more youthful and sweet.

Regina leaned up and without warning pressed a kiss to Petra’s lips. She froze, but once she gathered her composure, she let loose a brilliant smile.

“Was that ok?” Regina whispered.

Petra gave her the tiniest and most adorable smile. “It was perfect. I wish we could do that for longer, but Iris will come in here and pout if we let her food go cold.” They both chuckled and began to sit up.

“You’re probably right. We should get going before she comes in and throws ice cold water on us or something.” Regina said. They both took their time sitting up and getting ready. When she stood up from under the covers, she heard the gasp behind her as her legs were revealed. She’d forgotten about the fact that she was virtually naked save for Petra’s shirt. Her eyes were tracking Regina in a way that made her heart race.

“You look amazing in my clothes.” Petra admitted in a low tone. Regina blushed and pulled on a nearby robe to cover herself before she fully stripped and let her inhibitions go. They made their way into the kitchen, and arrived just in time to see Iris plate up a heaping portion of pancakes and eggs. When she heard their footsteps she turned around with a huge smile.

“You’re awake finally! Come eat!” She pulled at both their wrists and brought them to sit.

Breakfast was quick and quiet, but comfortable nonetheless. Iris was a talented chef and every morsel of her food was amazing. It reminded Regina of the times in which she’d experiment with flavors on Saturday mornings. When Henry always slept in on weekends, but the creative energy that had been brewing within her all week made a habit of exploding in a mess of pastries, pancakes and hundreds of other types ofShe hadn’t had much chance to cook or even experiment since arriving in France, but after this she was determined to get back into it. When the last bits of food were devoured and their bellies full, Regina looked over at the women.

They were even more gorgeous without makeup. She hadn’t realized it until now, but there were so many secrets beneath the masks of makeup they made a habit of wearing. Iris looked years younger. Her cheeks were the tiniest but full and her face full of freckles. Petra looked all around much softer. Her smiles filled her entire face and the peace that exuded off of her was mesmerizing. Regina wanted nothing more than to see them like this all the time. Though she was still unsure, the fact that she hadn’t been kicked out the second she woke was a signal right? They still wanted—probably.

Regina cleared her throat and tried not to let her nerves show. She tried not to let her tendency to overthink spill out. “So…what next?”

Petra smiled down at her and reached over for her hand. “Now that it’s been established that all three of us are equally interested in one another, the next logical step would be to take you out on a proper date. When are you free?”

Regina’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. She hadn’t even thought about the dating process. What would it be like with two women instead of one? She hadn’t been on a proper date in…decades. In all honesty, ever. She and Daniel had had nothing but secret trysts and stolen moments.

Leopold….was far from her lover. She and Maleficent had been solely a physical arrangement. The same with Graham. And Robin had been love, but they hadn’t had the chance to really date in the traditional sense of the word.

It hadn’t seemed obvious until now just how lacking in practical and healthy experiences. How was she supposed to give them anything or then frustration and sorrow? She was so broken. She could feel the burn of tears in her eyes. She hoped neither of them noticed. She didn’t want to go about explaining the fact that most of her life had been filled with meaningless hookups and power plays.

Iris leaned closer and pressed a hand to the small of Regina’s back. “What’s wrong love?” She questioned and the tenderness in her voice sent the tears flowing. Regina growled internally at her own childish behavior but she knew it would only cause more problems if she tried to hide her true feelings.

“I just…I realized that I haven’t been on a date in my…many years on this earth. It’s embarrassing and it makes me scared.”

“Scared of what?” Petra asked.

“Scared that my lack of experience will make this harder than it’s already going to be. I want things to go well—more than you know—but I’m afraid.”

“And it’s ok to be afraid love.” Petra assured. “We’re both afraid. This is new to all of us. Just because you haven’t had the chance to experience a relationship in the way we’re used to, doesn’t mean you are any less worthy or any less desirable.”

The assurance that she wasn’t entirely worthless should not have filled Regina with so much relief. She gave a tiny nod as she looked down at her trembling hands. Iris took one of them and Petra took the other. “Don’t be embarrassed. We’re doing this together. We’re going to make this relationship work, together. Let’s take this step by step. And we’ll make this work, ok?”

Regina nodded, and let herself be pulled into a hug. Petra pressed a kiss to the crown of her head and it nearly made Regina melt.

xxx

Regina returned to the house soon after finishing breakfast. It was Saturday, so around noon she needed to head to the vineyard to tend to the vines. Before heading to work though, she knew she needed to get changed. She’d taken a shower at Iris and Petra’s flat, but the dress she wore was less than suitable for a few hours of work.

Iris had offered her clothes, as did Petra, but Regina didn’t accept them. If she wore their clothes for the rest of the day she’d be distracted no doubt. Just the thought of having their clothes on her skin would distract So she returned to the house as fast as she could and snuck inside. Camila was waiting, sipping on a cup of coffee and watching the door. When she caught sight of Regina, she gave a raised eyebrow.

“Had a wild night did you?” Regina tried to ignore her, but as she walked past the kitchen towards the stairs Camila grabbed her arm gently. “You’re not going to get away with not spilling your guts. You were gone all night. You left me hanging all night—you have to give me some explanation.” She whined.

Regina shook her head with an amused smile. “Nothing happened. I just…I said some things and we did some non sexual very wholesome things and…I’m not ready to talk about it yet.” She admitted with a sheepish expression. Regina knew she’d have to tell Camila the same things she’d told Iris and Petra—but she was too worn out to repeat the story again. Relive the pain and anticipate for the rejection. Luckily, Camila knew her well enough now to stop pushing.

Camila gave a sigh and sipped her coffee. “I can respect that. I’ll let you get on with your day—for now—but you have to spill the beans eventually.”

Regina rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “I’ll spit it out eventually. But I have a busy day today. I have work all day, then a date tonight—”

“—-a date!”

“Well, it’s not really a date.”

“A date! You said a date! You called it a date so it’s a date!” Camila exclaimed.

“Fine. It’s a date but just..it’s new. It’s _sensitive_. I need you to be…calm and help me not fall apart when the rough patches come because I really want this to work.” Regina started to tear up again. She hadn’t had to deal with so many emotions in such a short time since she was teenager. Camila came closer and took her hand to comfort her. “I’m falling apart at the seams. I need to figure out how to cope with all these emotions but I don’t know how. I don’t want to fuck it up.” A tear slipped down her cheek.

Camila sighed and pulled her into a warm hug. “You’re going to be fine. You’re strong enough to make this work if you want it. And I have a feeling—based on you how hesitant you are to make any moves, right or wrong—that you want this. And I’ll help you as much as I can.” The hug lasted for a long time, and when they finally released each other Regina felt ten times better.

She felt capable enough to get up, get dressed in a simple button down shirt and jeans. Before heading off to the vineyard though, Regina made sure to give Camila another hug. Regina knew the worst was yet to come, and she knew her reactions to this new relationship would only grow more and more strong as she got more and more attached to them. Like she wasn’t attached to them already.

It would be scary, but she needed to go the distance. She needed to push herself past the pain of her past and make something new.

xxx

The vineyard visit went well, and the vines were growing at a steady rate. By the time darkness fell Regina was revved and ready to go on her first official date. Her heart raced. Her skin was prickling with goosebumps and she shivered as she stripped off her work clothes. Once again, she chose a lacy set of lingerie—red this time—to go under her dress.

The dress itself was much more blatantly suggestive. It was fitted and black, with a small slit up the side. Her heels were tall, but manageable. Her hair wasleft slightly curly, as just the thought of straightening it reminded Regina too much of her old self. When she looked in the mirror of her bedroom, she could say for certain that she hadn’t felt so sexy in a very long time. Though she knew nothing of that nature would come out of tonight, she couldn’t help but enjoy the rush of arousal at the thought of Iris and Petra’s reaction.

Camila avoided making a spectacle of her entrance this time around, but she did have a look of pure delight on her face. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She teased. Regina rolled her eyes and didn’t waste a moment going to the car. This time around, despite the circumstances now being much different—she felt a rush of some odd mix of excitement and terror. This time, there were higher stakes. If she didn’t nail this—if she somehow managed to alienate them even more than her past had done—nothing would be the same.

But she had to try. Regina was tired of holding herself back. Tired of ignoring her own happiness in favor of someone else’s comfort. She’ done enough of that for Emma. For Snow White. For the entire town of Storybrooke. She deserved to be happy and in love and in a relationship that was healthy and far from detrimental to her health.So she took a deep breath and entered the restaurant with her head held as high as she could get it. They’d settled on a standard meeting place—a fancy restaurant a good distance between them. It was one of the ones that required amonths wait to get into it—if you were anyone other Petra Kent or Iris Kent apparently. When Regina stepped inside, she noticed them immediately. It was hard not to, considering the restaurant was completely empty outside of them. Iris sent her a warm smile and Petra stood when she entered, fidgeting with her blazer and gulping down all of her nerves.

  
The sight of them set Regina at ease, and she gave a smile that was from the deepest parts of her.

She was ready. 

[My Tumblr](https://moonlitmidnight-1.tumblr.com)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'll see you next time! I hope everyone is staying safe and doing well!


	9. The Past Always Comes Back to Haunt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is doing well! I had so much fun creating this, exploring this side of Regina and the things in her past that would really affect her relationships. I hope you enjoy!

Their relationship bloomed slowly.

After the first official date, the trio made a point to spend more and more alone time together. It was a slow-going effort at first, one mostly marked with awkwardly avoided questions and a seemingly endless supply of liquor. In the time between their first and third date, Regina took up smoking. Not just because of Petra’s own habit, but as a form of stress relief. She was constantly plagued with worry and an anxiety almost overwhelming in regards to the fate of their relationship and the next steps that would inevitably be troublesome.

So, smoking it was.

She’d smoked a bit during her time as queen—exotic tobaccos and a few herbs Maleficent had pulled her for (ones that sent her mind into a spiral of psychedelic overload that she missed on her worst days)—but had given it up when she’d adopted Henry. When Emma came to town, she’d indulged a few times but couldn’t find a quiet enough place to do it, since her every move was monitored by someone or another. To do it now, felt like some forbidden indulgence. The first official piece of herself regained.

A hand slipped into Regina’s. She jumped the tiniest bit, but when the breeze brought the easy perfume of Iris to her nose, she eased away from the instinctual response. She looked over at the sparkling eyes of her lover and smiled.

“ _Ça va?_ (You ok?)” She questioned. Regina nodded. They’d been trying to improve their french with practice, so as often as possible they spoke in the language.

“ _Je vais bien. Je me prélasse là-dedans._ (I'm fine. Just basking in this.)” She replied with a squeeze of her hand. Regina had to resist the urge to bring their joint hands up to her lips and press a kiss to the back of Iris’ hand. She was still getting used to allowing her affectionate side to come to the forefront. She wanted nothing more than to be under Iris and Petra, enveloped by their warm presence and comforted by their arms at all times. She wanted to show them that she was just as infatuated with them as they were with her. But she was afraid. In her experience, the moment she got comfortable, the rug had a habit of ripping itself from under her. So she held back.

“ _Êtes-vous sûr que cela ne vous dérange pas de venir à la librairie avec moi? Je sais que ce n'est pas exactement une date idéale mais je meurs d'envie d'y aller depuis le plus longtemps.”_ (Are you sure you don’t mind coming to the bookstore with me? I know it’s not exactly an ideal date but I’ve been dying to go for the longest time.)” Iris said sheepishly.

“Don’t apologize. I’ve been wanting to go as well. It’s a bonus that I get to go with you.” She squeezed her hand again just as they walked into the bookstore.

It was old, but in a way that was comforting. Ahidden gem in the middle of the city, dusty on the outside but more than well managed inside. An older woman, most likely in her late sixties, stood near the cash register. Her hair was long and grey and pulled into a braid that rested well over her shoulder. She gave them a small smile before greeting them aloud. “ _Bonjour! Êtes-vous ici pour chercher quelque chose en particulier?_ (Good Morning! Are you here to look for anything in particular?)”

Iris gave a bright smile. She slipped off her sunglasses and looked towards the older woman. “ _Bonjour! Nous naviguons juste en ce moment._ (Good morning! We're just browsing at the moment. )”

The owner gave a nod. “ _Faîtes-moi savoir si vous avez besoin de quoi que ce soit. Je serai ici - ce n'est pas comme si j'avais nulle part ailleurs où aller._ (Let me know if you need anything. I’ll be here—it’s not like I have anywhere else to go.)” All three of them chuckled before Iris took Regina’s hand and pulled her deeper into the shop.

When she’d called earlier in the morning, proposingsome time out and about for lunch and a date, Regina had been unnerved. They’d all been on several dates together, but just casually going out together for some reason, seemed all the more real to Regina.

They started their adventure in the cooking section, and as Iris idly flipped through a few seemingly interesting titles, Regina watched her futile attempt at appearing nonchalant. It was adorable watching the blush slowly make its way up her neck and to her cheeks. “What kinds of books do you like to read?” Iris asked quietly.

“Usually non-fiction. I spent a long time trying to learn the ways of the world and I found non-fiction to be my best bet. Nowadays though, I have to admit that I do enjoy a good thriller.” Regina replied. Her eyes wandered over to the mystery section that stood just behind them, but she didn’t leave Iris’ side.

Iris looked up at her with a curious gaze. “So you came to this world with virtually no knowledge of it? How long did it take you to learn?” Iris questioned.

“Years. Still to this day I have trouble with some things. I grew up in…that part of Europe. My formative years were spent there, I can’t just erase what I learned you know?” She said.

Iris nodded. “I understand.” For a few moments she paused, seemingly mulling over her words and considering whether or not they would kill the mood. Then she clears her throat. “Will you ever tell me about what it was like to live there? I have so many questions, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”She admitted.

“I appreciate that.” Regina admitted quietly. They wandered towards the window instinctually—away from the owner who up until now had been keeping her attention on her own book. But Regina couldn’t take the chance that they might be overheard. Though she knew the importance of transparency, she couldn’t resist the urge to keep as much away from them aspossible. She didn’t want her past to come and haunt her present. Especially not when things were looking so optimistic. “My life there wasn’t…pleasant. I don’t often like to think about it but I know it’s important for me to tell you both more. So I will I just…I need time.”

Iris’ eyes seemed to shine with unshed tears. She caressed the back of Regina’s hand with her thumb. “And you have time. I won’t push and neither will Petra.” Iris leaned into her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Regina blushed and leaned into the kiss.

It felt lovely to be regarded in such a soft way. They browsed some more and eventually came upon a more vintage collection of fairytales. Just the sight of it made Regina’s stomach turn. But she could see Iris’ attention turn to it. She was trying to seem unaffected, but it was clear that she wanted to pick one up and compare the story to the ‘reality’.

“You can get it if you want.” Regina said quietly. Iris snapped out of her daze and gave a sheepish look.

“No. It’s ok I just—I loved them growing up. My favorite was Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and it’s odd to think that….it’s real in some sense.”

“It’s odd for me too. Seeing my history immortalized and rearranged into different mediums. It’s a shock but…I’m happy to answer any questions you have.”

“Maybe….maybe over dinner? Tonight? At the flat? I’m getting tired of fancy schmancy restaurants. I want to order a pizza and spend a night in with my lovers. Getting to know each other.” She fluttered her doe like eyes up at Regina with a smirk.

Regina rolled her eyes fondly. “Sure. That sounds lovely.”

And it did. But Regina couldn’t ignore the rolling of her stomach at the thought of what was to come. Of the thought of the things she’d have to relay.

xxx

Iris was a romantic at heart. She loved to do the sappiest and sweetest of things for no reason and Regina adored it. It only took a few minutes of conversation and a pout of her lips to convince Regina to set up a fort in the living room. She’d done so a few times with Henry when he was young, but hadn’t even thought of doing it in a romantic capacity. It was much more fun than she’d expected.

Their flat wasn’t huge but it was big enough and fancy enough to create the most elegant of forts. Iris giggled the entire time they created their masterpiece and as the last of the lights were strung up and the last spare sheet draped around the chairs, Regina had a thought. She blushed at its presence at first—at how easily she was willing to go out of her way to make that little blonde woman happy—but pushed back at the instinct to quiet herself.

“Are you still in the mood for pizza?” Regina asked. Her question startled Iris out of her concentration, but the woman smiled up at her with a softness that made Regina tingle.

“I am. Are you going to order the pizza while I finish up the fort?” She asked as she fiddled with a creme colored flat sheet.

“Not exactly. I had an idea. Can I get a look at your pantry?” Regina questioned.

“Of course. Make yourself at home.”

It didn’t take long for Regina to figure out just how to create the most beautiful of pizzas. It was a simple recipe, one she’d made time and time again for Henry in place of the overly processed versions sold at most stores.In minutes, the flat was filled with the heavenly scent of herbs, sauces, beautifully melted cheese and bread.

As Regina pulled the pizza out of the oven and Iris started a movie from her place in the fort, the lock on the front door clicked open. Petra stepped into the house. She looked beyond tired but at the sight of the fort and its inhabitant, her smile was bright.

“What’s going on here?” She asked, her voice soft. Regina crept out of the kitchen, the pizza in her hands. Oddly enough she felt like a housewife presenting her hard working husband with a wondrous meal after a long day.

“Dinner and a movie?” Regina suggested. God, it was hard to resist the urge to run to her and fall into her arms. She’d missed her more than she’d realized. They hadn’t seen each other in three days. Three days that felt longer than they had any right to be.

“That sounds perfect.” Petra dropped her briefcase at the door and began to unbutton her blouse to reveal a simple white camisole. She slipped under the forts draped walls and soon Regina followed.

Dinner was devoured quickly.

By the sounds of it, both Iris and Petra were thoroughly enjoying it. Every bite was followed by a hum of pleasure, every swallowed preceded by the tiniest bit of regret. They ate more than Regina had expected them to and by the end of it, they practically glowed with contentment. When they were engrossed in the movie she stood to clear the dishes. Petra took her wrist unexpectedly, causing her to flinch.

“I’m sorry to scare you darling. I just wanted to tell you that it’s unnecessary to do them. You cooked us dinner after all. Take a load off love.” Petra suggested.

Regina gave a tense chuckle. Her heart raced a tiny bit too fast in a way that would get dangerous if she didn’t get it under control. But, in true Regina fashion she ignored it. “I’m fine, you just startled me. I’d feel awful if I let you all do dishes in your own home—at least not when I’m here for a visit. Let me do this for you.” She looked down at Petra, her gaze warm. She tried to project the feeling lingering so close to her heart. The desire she felt to care for them in anyway she could.

Petra seemed to understand—and Regina suspected Iris would have to had she not been falling asleep beside Petra, curled up like a warm kitten. She gave Regina a small smile.

xxx

Regina took her time doing the dishes. She needed to calm the racing of her heart, and the only way to do that was to put some distance between herself and the women who had so easily stolen her heart. Was this the time in which she made her exit? She’d made them dinner and realistically spent the entire day in their presence. Despite how much she didn’t want to, was she supposed to leave now? Regina wanted nothing more than to spend the night again, but she wasn’t so sure she’d be able to keep her hands to herself.

A hand came to rest so suddenly on the small of her back. Her heart was still racing dangerously and the feeling of an uninvited hand on her body only made things worse. Regina jumped at the feeling, and on instinct moved to turn around and defend herself. But her hands were wet and she lost her grip on the plate she’d been washing. It shattered with a loud, cacophony of sound and it made her flinch even more. Fear welled up in Regina. She hadn’t meant to drop it, but all the same it had been dropped.

And the panic at its unfixable state was making her dizzy. It had been a long time since she’d felt this way. Not since her time in the castle, not since she’d been married. Her breathing was growing shallow and her heart was picking up pace once again. Broken memories flickered behind her eyelids. They hurt but there was no way to stop them.

“Regina? Are you alright? What happened?” Iris questioned in a panicked tone. She’d shot up from the fort and raced over to check on her. Petra stopped her just before she could get pieces of the plate in her tiny feet.

“Can you get the broom and dust pan darling? I’m going to go help Regina to the couch.” Iris nodded and raced to the broom closet. Petra took Regina’s forearms and led her gently towards the couch. Regina’s breathing hadn’t slowed down at all during their trek, but it seemed to speed up when Iris moved to clean up.

Petra rubbed her back slowly. She was looked down at Regina with a concerned gaze. “What’s wrong love? I’m sorry I scared you. What can I do to make it up to you?” She sounded panicked and the sound of her distress made Regina begin to cry. God, she was so scared and she couldn’t figure out why. It was overwhelming but Petra’s touch calmed her mind the tiniest bit. Tears began to fall and before she could stop herself words slipped from her lips.

“Please—please don’t hurt me. I’m sorry. I didn’t meant to drop it.” She stuttered. An old habit making its way to the front of her mind for the first time in a long time.Maybe now, since she was closer to the woman she’d been inthe Enchanted Forest—during her first years of marriage to Leopold—those tendencies were making their way out once again. Maybe now that she wasn’t instinctually putting on a mask of rage, she was falling into the only other state she knew. Submission.

Iris let out a gasp at the words. Petra’s eyes filled with tears and she held her tighter.

“I’m not going to hurt you love. I’d never imagine hurting you. Neither of us would ever dare to put our hands on you. You’re safe with us.” She promised, her voice on the verge of frantic. Regina was shaking in her arms, all forms of communication halted in her because her entire body felt like it was on fire.

Iris came to sit beside them. She wrapped her arms around Regina and let out a tiny sniffle. “My darling please calm down. You’re safe with us. No-one will ever hurt you when you’re with us. I promise you. I’m so sorry that someone hurt you in the past but they aren’t here any longer.”

And she was right. Leopold had expected a lot form Regina, even from the day after their marriage became ‘official’ and it had caused a lot of inner conflict in her. She’d fought against it for years. But right now, it seemed to spill over out of nowhere. And at the worst possible time. She sucked in a sharp breath and tried to hold back the tears, but Petra placed a kiss on her shoulder and it broke her down. No-one had ever been so gentle with her during such a distressing time. Leopold hadn’t given a damn, and even in Storybrooke—when she’d appeared to be angry but was more sad and fearful than anything—no-one had cared to see if she was alright. It was embarrassing but cathartic as the tears slowly stopped and they faded away under the warmth of Petra and Iris’ presence.

Eventually, the panic subsided and slowly gave way to embarrassment. Regina let out a rough puff of air. “Fuck. I’m sorry. I didn’t —"

“Don’t say you’re sorry. You did nothing wrong. Do you know how often I get panic attacks? Maybe not as often as I used to, but still often enough to recognize one when I see one. What triggered it? Do you know?” Iris questioned. Regina looked over at with a confused glance. She’d heard the phrase panic attack before—mostly in tv shows and movies—but never in reference to herself or anyone around her. It hadn’t occurred to her to consider those overwhelming feelings of anxiety and _fear_ as anything other than just a part of herself.

She gulped. “I think….When you came home I felt like a housewife. It felt domestic to bring a meal to you….I enjoyed it at first but then you scared me and it reminded me of…of my marriage.”

“Did your husband hurt you?” Petra’s tone was deadly serious. She sounded like she was seconds away from raging, but not at Regina luckily. The brunette was only able to sheepishly nod.

“Not often…but often enough. When I was disobedient and defiant he’d….he’d hurt me. And when he was in—” She gulped. “—need he called upon me. I had no choice. I fought for a while, but I realized eventually that it was easier to just lay down and take it. I think that mentality slipped into the present for a bit…I hope I didn’t ruin the evening.” Regina whispered. The heavy weight of her confessions made her want to throw up.

They made Regina want to curl up in a ball and never come out. But the comforting hand running up and down her back made it all better. That coupled with the feeling of Iris’s soft caresses through her hair made Regina feel as though the world was in a completely separate space than her and her lovers.

“You didn’t ruin anything darling. It’s best we get to know what triggers you and what makes you uncomfortable. Now that we know, we can avoid those triggers and help you as best we can. This was bound to happen eventually—and please know you won’t be alone in stumbling on the road to…harmony sounds cheesy, but I don’t know what else to say. That’s what we’re after right? A harmonious existenceI don’t know.” Iris trailed off with a giggle which siphoned a chuckle from both her lovers.

After a few minutes of chuckles and comforting caresses, Petra coaxed Regina in the fort. Iris curled up on one side of her while Petra hogged the other. They slipped off their pants and bras and got as comfortable as possible.

“Are you sure I didn’t ruin anything?” Regina questioned later in the night, when the dark made the fairy lights on the fort illuminated even more so. Petra answered first, but now with words. With a simple, but promising kiss. It was warm and wet. It stirred Regina’s insides and made her want to surrender her body in a heartbeat. But she’d rather not have had a crying a fit right before making love to Petra and Iris for the first time.

So she pulled back at the last minute and rested her forehead against Petra’s. She was breathing heavily, but a smirk appeared on Petra’s face.

She seemed beyond pleased with herself and Regina couldn’t even fault her for it. Her cheeks were burning and her entire body was aflame but she was proud and _happy_. And that was all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I can't wait to continue. Stay safe ❤️


	10. Old Habits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience! I hope you all enjoy!

“Excuse me?” Regina questioned loudly, her tone incredulous and confused.Camila had spoken in such a low tone that for a few moments Regina had been wholly unsure if she’d heard her speak or not. But by the blush on her cheeks and the sheepish expression on her face, she’d said _something._ And by the way her elegant shoulders hunched in, she said something she wasn’t exactly proud of.

It was a Saturday evening, which meant _lots_ of wine and pasta. Petra was out of town this weekend, and Iris had gone with her for a book signing so Regina was free for a girl’s time that was woefully overdue. She’d been extended an invitation to Florence but had turned it down after some deliberation. Camila had been coping well, as had Emilie—but Regina had missed them both so dearly just the thought of not spending another weekend together was making her sick. Right about now though, she was desperately wishing she hadn’t stayed home.

Camila groaned. “You heard what I said! Don’t make me repeat myself!! Please.” Her words transformed into a whine by the end of her sentence. She buried her face in her hands. “Sergio wants to come to dinner. He said he hasn’t gotten the chance to be properly introduced to you. He said that since you’re around Emilie almost as much as I am, that it would be prudent for the two of you to get to know each other. So he practically invited himself to dinner here at the house.”

Regina narrowed her eyes at the taller woman. “When exactly does he plan to stop by?” She had a feeling she knew the answer though.

“He didn’t say but I have a feeling he’ll—” The new doorbell sounded. It’s mild song echoing around the house. Regina closed her eyes to the wave of annoyance and fear that crept up her spine. Camila cleared her throat and tried to avoid eye contact with Regina.

“That’s probably not even him.” She tried. Her tone was weak and shaky. Regina resisted the urge to laugh. “ I bet that’s the post or something even more inconspicuous.” Camila finished with a tiny shrug,though it was clear she most certainly didn’t believe her own lies.

“I doubt that.” Regina whispered. “Go upstairs and throw some trousers on just in case.” Camila nodded and was sprinting up the stairs without anotherword.

Regina rolled her eyes and took a moment to look down at her own attire. A simple creme slip, with a loose and oversized long brown cardigan was all Regina wore.Her hair was left in its curly state—as was the case most days in France—and she wore no makeup but Regina was under no false impressions. She was an attractive woman regardless of her state of makeup, so her only remaining hurdle was not murdering Sergio. Despite his frayed relationship with Camila, he and Emilie got along well. The girl often spoke of her father and the last thing Regina wanted to do was alienate her.

She took in a deep breath and pushed down the urge to ignore the knock on the door and run to the backyard to smoke.Smoking wasn’t exactly frowned upon this part of the country, but it wasn’ta habit Regina wanted to get attached to—smoking when she’s stressed. So she pulled herself together and went to the door. Just as she suspected, it was Sergio and not the post man (especially not at 8 at night) who stood on the other side of the door. He gave her a smile that made her skin crawl.

 _“Bonsoir! Désolé de passer si inopinément, mais je suis devenu très excité. J'espère que ça ne vous dérange pas.”_ (“Good evening! Sorry to drop by so unexpectedly, but I got very excited. I hope you don't mind.”)

Regina resisted the urge to roll her eyes hard. She hated how smug he looked almost all the time. Like he belonged here. Like he was entitled to be apart of Camila’s life.As if he hadn’t been the absolute worst possible human and husband. He was such a pathetic waste of space it made her stomach turn, but as she looked down at the sleepy little face hiding behind him she resolved to keep her opinions to herself.

Regina gave Emilie a smile. Then she forced herself to meet Sergio’s coy gaze. _“C'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer enfin. Entrez.”_ (It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Come in.)

She opened the door wide enough for him to slip through. When he passed by, a wave of his cologne washed over her. It was overwhelming in its presence—like something extremely expensive but not exactly worth— and Regina couldn’t help but cough the tiniest bit. Emilie looked up at her with a worried gaze.

“Are you ok ‘Gina?” She questioned, taking Regina’s hand in her own and squeezing. Regina smiled down at her, pressing her hand to her silky hair and stroking.

“Yes little darling. I’m fine. Come sit at the table, dinner’s almost done.”

She led them into the dining room. As they moved, Sergio’s gaze wandered, from the walls mostly empty save for the few pictures of Zelena, Rosalie, Henry and Emilie; to the furniture to the little trinkets that made it home. Seeing his eyes glance over her belongings made Regina sick, but just as she moved to distract Camila bounded down the steps. She gave Emilie a big smile and without a word wrapped her up in a big hug.

 _“Tu me manques mon amour! Tu t'es bien amusé avec Papa?”_ ( I missed you my love! Did you have fun with Papa?) She asked.

 _“J'ai fait. Mais tu m'as beaucoup manqué aussi. Qu'est-ce que pour le dîner?”_ (I did. But I missed you a lot too. What's for dinner?)

Easily, they fell back into a routine that was more than familiar now. Even with Sergio’s presence lingering like a black cloud in the corner of the kitchen, they enjoyed the nearly habitualroutine. After Sergio’s presence was promptly forgotten,Regina finished up dinner while Camila and Emilie chatted and set the table. As Camila opened a new bottle of wine and served it in only two glasses at first, before receiving a pointed glare and a clearing of his throat. With a tense chuckle, she poured him one. As Regina plated the simple pasta dish, she could feel Sergio’s eyes on her. They reminded her starkly, for a split second, of her former husband’s. Scrutinizing, intensely uncomfortable and possessing the most hideous mixture of lust and malice. He watched his ex-wife and daughter with a look that was a mixture of fondness and bitterness. But when his eyes slid to Regina, her insides crawled. Something dark and _deep_ inside her was writhing. And it was terrifyingly familiar.

xxx

Dinner was a quiet affair. Emilie was too tired to keep up her usual chatterso Camila made do as best she could. But, it was obviously difficult with Sergio there. She did her best, but by the end of the short meal Regina was plotting ways to make him leave early.

In the past—during her stays as Queen specifically—she would have just killed him. Even now, she kept one hand on the butter knife beside her plate. She stroked the hilt and pressed her finger to the blade to keep her grounded. It took much too much energy to resist the urge to launch herself across the table and stick the knife (though it might be a butter knife, with her skill behind it it’d be a deadly weapon) into his jugular. His blood would drip so prettily down the side of the table. He’d probably continue to talk before his body finally registered its dire straits.

Regina was snapped out of her reverie by sudden movement in the corner of her eye. Emilie gave a large and seemingly final yawn. Camila smirked down at her and pressed a hand to the crown of her head. “Sleepy darling?”

“ _Oui maman. Puis-je me coucher maintenant?”_ (Yes Mama. Can I go to bed now?)” She asked as she rubbed her eyes and pouted. She looked so much like Camila it was adorable.

“ _L'amour bien sûr. Dis bonne nuit à Regina et Papa_ (Of course love. Say good night to Regina and Papa.)”

To Regina’s surprise, Emilie eagerly came to her first. She practically launched herself into older woman’s lap and pressed the cutest kiss on her cheek. “ _Bonne nuit Regina. Je te vois dans la matinée.”_ (Goodnight Regina. See you in the morning. ”) She lingered to snuggle up to Regina before slipping over to her father and pressing kisses on his cheeks. “ _Bonne nuit papa. À la prochaine._ ”(Goodnight Papa. See you next time.”)

Emilie ran up towards the stairs and waited at the foot of them for her mother. Camila chuckled. “I’ll be right back. Regina, could you maybe pour us a drink?” Camila asked sheepishly. When Regina gave a nod, Camila let out a sigh of relief before escorting Emilie up to her room. Regina was beyond reluctant to do as Camila had asked, but she knew she’d be causing more trouble than the situation was worth if she objected. Hopefully, the alcohol would help settle the uneasiness in her. When Camila and Emilie disappeared up the staircase, Regina stood quickly. She didn’t want to be too close to that man. So she busied herself with the dishes and eventually the drinks but couldn’t quite ignore him. His presence was almost unavoidable.

He leaned back in his chair, observing her. He let out a chuckle suddenly. “Your first language is English—yes?”

Initially, Regina ignored him and continued to pour three gin and tonics. A staple of the rougher nights—especially on the nights when Sergio’s presence seemed to shake the raven haired woman more than she cared to admit or when Regina’s past made it hard for her to breathe.

“Not exactly.” She simply said. For it was the truth. Her first words had been in Spanish—because all her nursemaids had been of the same descent as her father and had spoken the language to her per his request. She’d been reluctant to speak English, as it was in her mind associated with her mother’s presence. At least up until her the fifth year of life, when Cora had forced Regina to take lessons and punished her when she slipped into her native tongue. “Spanish was my first language.”

“I see. You have the complexion of a Spaniard. And the spunk of one too. Which language would you prefer this conversation to be in? _Hablo bien español_ (I speak Spanish well.) ” He tried, but Regina couldn’t help but cringe at his poor pronunciation.

“English is fine. What do you want to speak with me about?” She passed over a drink and watched as he took a sip. The drink wasn’t a standard gin and tonic. Nothing Regina ever did was ‘standard’. She’d bought some special gin from a new business acquaintance that had been a hefty but worthy price, and dressed it with cinnamon and a roasted orange peel.(During her time in France, she’d picked up many a new hobby—but the newest one was mixology. Creating cocktails and trying them out was the best way to spend a Saturday evenings.)

He took a sip, and instantly let out a dramatic sigh of pleasure. “This is amazing. You have a talent for concoction—both in the culinary arts and in the mixology department.”

Regina could not hold back a snort at the coincidence. Most would be afraid to drink anything she’d made. If only she’d thought ahead—then maybe she could slip his body out of the house before anyone noticed. But alas—it was not meant to be. “Thank you. It’s a skill I have been mastering for… a long time. Now, as I said—what exactly did you want to talk about?”

He chuckled again. It was low and objectively attractive—if it hadn’t ben attached to him. “Nothing in particular. I just wanted to get to know you. My Emilie speaks so highly you, I became curious to who you are and where you came from. She only told me that you showed up at the airport the day my marriage ended, and that you have been a good friend to her mother. I got curious.” He shrugged and took another sip of his drink. After swallowing down the sip with a loud gulp, he continued his speech. “So…tell me about yourself.”

It was needless to say that Regina as more than reluctant to reveal anything about herself to him. But she knew if she didn’t, it would send a bad impression. So she cleared her throat and took her a sip of her own. She sighed before forcing herself to speak.

“I was born in a small town in…Spain.”

“I do a lotof work there—I might know the place you were born. What is it called?”

“You wouldn’t know it.” She assured him, her tone sharp. He raised his hands in surrender and finally stopped interrupting her. “I grew up in America. My life wasn’t exactly interesting or anything out of the ordinary—I went to college, I graduated with high marks, was lucky enough to find a good job after graduation—and eventually came to be the mayor of a small town in Maine. I adopted a son.” She pointed to his picture on the wall. It was an old picture that brought the warmest of feelings to Regina’s chest—even with the unpleasant company. Beside his picture were a few of Rosalie and Zelena.

(Zelena had sent a few newer pictures last week. It was later fall now, almost winter, and Regina was looking forward to Christmas—when Zelena and Rosalie would be making the trip to spend their first Christmas in France.)

He hummed at the sight of Henry. “A strong boy—I can tell. And handsome.”

“He’s very handsome. He’s the best thing that ever happened to me. He’s in college now, but he has plans to visit for Christmas.”

“Well, I’ll have to make sure to stop by then. I’d love the chance to get to meet him.”

She looked up at him and held back the scream lingering in the back of her throat at the mere _thought_ of Sergio meeting her son. But before she could open her mouth foot steps came down the stairs. Camila entered the room with a soft and sheepish smile.

“I’m sorry that tookso long. Emilie was very eager for more than one story.”

Sergio gave her the largest smile and quickly—easily—drew her into a very fast paced and complicated conversation in french. A conversation Regina couldn’t follow no matter how hard she tried. So she handed Camila her drink and sat beside her—showing her support as best she could.

Camila seemed less and less tense as the exchange went on. She even seemed to gain a certain amount of comfort in the presence of her ex-husband and it made Regina afraid. She could see that he was laying it on thick, but Camila—the sensitive, romantic woman she was—didn't see it. She was too enamored with the love she’d thought she’d lost that she didn’t see the warning signs.

And Sergio was reveling in it.

xxx

Sergio came around more often after that. Emilie and Camila seemed to enjoy his frequent visits, but Regina was having a hard time hiding her distress. She’d become used to what her mind had dubbed as the ‘new normal’. The easy mornings and after school treats, or weekend beach trips. Now, those trips were either put on halt or involved Sergio. It was very upsetting—even if Regina knew it didn’t need to be. She understood that Camila was trying to build a healthy coparenting relationship, but he was so disgusting that it was hard to see the benefits of his presence.

On a bleak morning a week after the dinner, Regina laid in her bed—her phone pressed to her ear.

“I miss you both. Do you want to stop by for dinner?” There was a pleading edge to her tone, but in all honesty Regina couldn’t care less. She _needed_ them to be here. She needed their presence and their reassurance. Hopefully, her obvious need wouldn’t backfire—but it was worth the try. Having them in her space—erasing the memories of Sergio in the home she’d _just_ become to welcome into her heart.

“That sounds perfect darling! Does 7 work for you?” Petra said. Regina let out a sigh of relief at the confirmation.

“…Would you mind stopping by earlier? I just….I really miss you both.” She glanced up at the clock. She’d had a half day today, so it was 1 in the afternoon now. Sergio was picking Emilie up from school and brining her home—most likely to spend the rest of the night at the house. She only had 2 more hours of peace. Then she’d have to wait another hour until Camila came home then she was supposed wait another 4 hours to see her partners?

“Of course not. How about 5? We can bring wine.” Iris suggested.

“5 is perfect. I’m sorry I’m being needy I just—

“Don't apologize love. I’m happy you feel comfortable enough to express what you need. We’re here for you.” Iris reassured.

“Iris is right love. We are here to help you as much as we can. How about I stop by early? I have nothing to do but write and I wouldn’t mind doing it at the house.”

“You don’t have to come out of your way for me. Please don’t let me make you—-

“—You can’t make me do anything love.” Iris interrupted with a chuckle. “I’m offering because I want to see you and I know you want to see me. Don’t be so guilty for asking me to see you. I’ll be there soon.” They talked for only a few more minutes before Iris hung up to get ready and Petra’s lunch hour was over.

Anticipation made Regina thrum with excitement.

Iris arrived within the hour and greeted Regina with a warm smile and a kiss. They sat in the living room and read for the majority of their time alone together—thought it was much more pleasant than it might have seemed with Iris practically in her lap the entire time. Time seemed to slide past them, and when Sergio arrived at the house with Emilie, Regina didn’t let his presence or his lingering gaze make her day any less pleasant. Iris—on first glance—seemed to get on well with Sergio. But when Emilie had her afternoon snack and began her homework, she practically forced Regina into her bedroom and closed the door behind them .

When the door was closed, she let out a sigh of relief. “God he's annoying. I don’t know how or why Camila married him.”

Regina gavechuckle. “I’m glad I’m not the only one who sees it.” She admitted with a sigh. “I know he was her husband and she at one time trusted him with her life but—he betrayed her. I don’t understand how she can just let him back into her life like this. Coparenting is one thing but this borderline romance is another. I…Maybe it’s just my past experiences that are coloring my view of their relationship but I don’t trust him.”

“I don’t trust him either. I had a normal life to a certain degree and I still get the creeps when he’s around. You have a lot of self restraint to keep your instincts under control around him. But may I ask…is there a specific reason you dislike and distrust him?” Her tone suggested she had half a mind as to what Regina’s reasoning was.

“He…He reminds me a lot of Leopold. Though Sergio is certainly more attractive and charming—he and Leopold share a few too many traits for me to fully ignore. And maybe I’m just…projecting.”

Iris took a slow seat on the bed and patted the seat beside her. Regina followed shortly after she made the request and was surprised to find her hand being taken into Iris’. “You’re shaking love.” Iris whispered.

Regina hadn’t noticed until now, but she certainly was trembling. A shaky breath escaped her mouth. “I just….he ruined me. I know I have a large hand in the destruction of my own life but Leopold was such a huge source of pain before I even became the ‘Evil Queen’ and I don’t want Camila to be ruined too. The divorce was the best thing to happen to her—-whether she realized it or not—-and I don’t want him to reel her back in. She and Emilie deserve better than that.” A tear slipped down her cheek.

She could hear the shakiness in her breathing and was instantly annoyed. Why was this her immediate response to an overwhelming emotion nowadays?! Crying and beginning to panic was the absolute most least productive way to deal with these emotions! Before, it had been so easy to slip into anger and let it control her but now the anger was nearly invisible. It wasn’t present and now the only option was the emotion Regina had suppressed for as long as she could remember.

Fear.

Iris leaned in and pulled Regina into her arms. She shushed her and easily pulled her into a rocking motion. It was almost instantly comforting. “I know darling. Thank you for sharing that with me. I need you to take deep breaths with me. Your breathing is beginning to get a little bit out of control. You can bring it back though. Breath with me.” Iris took one of Regina’s hands and pulled it to her chest. Her heart beat strongly under Regina’s palm and the feeling of her steady breathing made her own breathing fall into line.

After a few minutes of Iris’ cradling and easy breathing, Regina was finally stable. And almost immediately Regina pulled away. She didn’t even have time to assess her own actions. She was just up before she could process it and was almost to her bathroom. But Iris—even with her little legs—moved fast. She grabbed Regina’s shoulder—as gently as she could—and stopped her.

“Stop. Don’t run from me because you’re feeling vulnerable. I know what you’re feeling right now and its terrifying but it’s important. Stay with me.” It was easier to give in this time. A pattern was emerging—for Regina to run the second she felt too vulnerable to function (most likely some sort of defense mechanism)—and it was concerning.

Regina stopped and let another tear slip from her eyes. She sniffled.

“I just…I hate this. I feel like I can’t do things normally because of whatever is going on in my broken brain. I shouldn’t be crying every two minutes—I shouldn’t be on the verge of hyperventilating every two minutes. I’m an adult. I was a monarch for fuck’s sake! None of this happened when I went to war! None of this happened when I was back in Storybrooke—when my son went missing and my life was threatened. But seeing a man mistreat my friend and entering a relationship have suddenly reduced me to nothing!”

“They haven’t reduced you to nothing Regina. You’re processing. All of this is new to you. The reactions you’re having now are unfamiliar because you repressed them. You have been through trauma. You aren’t going to react as predictably as you might expect yourself to and that’s ok.” Iris assured. She took Regina’s hands and forced the brunette to look at her. “I’ve had general anxiety for most of my life. I think I was diagnosed at 6, but my parents alwas tell me I wasanxious even as a baby. I’ve struggled with it and fought against it for as long as I could remember but the smallest things set me off. The first time I kissed Petra I had a panic attack for fuck’s sake! I’m not saying I understand what you’re going through completely—because I may never understand. But what I do understand is learning how to take care of our mental health and get a grip on what the true issues are. I want to helpyou—but I need you to trust me.” She said in an impassioned manner. Her eyes were wet with tears but she pushed to appear strong.

Regina let out a sigh at the sight of Iris trying to hard for her. “I trust you. I’m just…I’m afraid.”

“And it’s ok to be afraid. Just know that if you stumble I’ll be here and Petra will be here. And I know Camila will be there as well, when you’re ready for her. Ok?”

Regina let out a shuddered sigh. “Ok.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was a little unsure about this chapter, which is why it took me forever to get it out. I wanted to have Iris as a more prominent figure in Regina's healing and acceptance of herself and the love of her partners--much the same way Petra was for Emma in About Time. This is only the beginning of that, and we'll for sure be seeing more of Petra, Camila and Emilie next chapter but I felt this was necessary. Sergio is also not done, just in case you were wondering.


	11. Bothersome Visits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a a little short but important. I hope everyone is doing well!

Regina tried not to make it obvious that she was avoiding the house—and more honestly Sergio, who seemed to be an almost constant figure as the weeks progressed.The last thing she wanted to do was upset Camila, who seemed so much more happy and settled with Sergio around and spending more time with his daughter.He wasn’t an obvious nuisance, but Regina found it hard to function—hard to relax in her own home when he was always there, always observing the interactions between Camila, Emilie and Regina and watching Regina with a gaze that was far too amused for her liking. Luckily, Petra and Iris made it easy to forget.

A breathy sigh escaped her. She leaned into the series of soft kisses trailing from her mouth down to the side of her neck. Regina surrendered to the feeling of Petra’s lips on her skin and let out another sigh. “Ugh, shit.” Regina moaned quietly. Her hips bucked towards the skilled fingers trailing right on the sensitive skin of her inner thigh.

Her skirt had ridden up to the middle of her thighs as she straddled Petra, and Regina was afraid that her growing arousal would soon be unavoidable. She was close to being overwhelmed, with the feeling of Petra beneath her and Iris beside her. Her body wasn’t used to so much stimulation and she was close already despite the fact that she hadn’t been properly touched. Another moan escaped her as Iris trailed her fingers closer to the wet heat waiting for her,

This was the first time they’d gone this far. Before this, the extent of their affections had been heavy petting and late night make out sessions but this was…different. This was so clearly heading towards something much more and Regina was ecstatic. They were on Regina’s bed. She was straddling Petra, her core hovering just above Petra’s hip. Iris was behind Regina, her hands rubbing up and down her back as a constant comfort. God, she was soaking wet. The trembling seemed to only grow worse and they are beginning to notice.Iris pressed a hand to her hip.

“What do you need love?” Petra asked.

Regina let out a shuddered sigh. “I…I need… _fuck._ ”

“It’s ok darling.” Iris assured, pressing a kiss to the nape of her neck. “Whatever you need, we’re going to take care of you.”

Regina took in a deep breath. She let her head fall into the nape of Petra’s neck and let out a breath. “I need someone to touch me. Please.”  
Petra groaned. “Which one of us?”

“It doesn’t matter. One of you, please—“ A keening sob fell from her lips as Petra’s hand reached into her skirt and wasted no time in pushing her panties to the side. Petra found her entrance and circled to gather her wetness and play in it, before moving up to circle her clit. Iris moved closer, herbreathing heavy.

“Regina—are you, can you…?” It didn’t take much for her to understand what Iris needed. Iris moved closer and Regina reached behind her to find her way into Iris’ pants. It was hard to focus with the mind numbing pleasure radiating from her core. But just as she unzipped the jeans and moved to find her core—the door opened.

“Hello! I hope you don’t mind but I—“ Sergio’s voice echoed around the room. Regina jumped nearly a mile high at the sound of his voice. She ripped her hand out of Iris’ pants and let out a startled gasp.

Regina’s heart nearly stopped as she locked eyes with Sergio. He gave a sheepish look that was just barely genuine and turned around with his eyes covering his eyes. “I”m so sorry! I didn’t realize!I just—I came to invite you to lunch. I didn’t realize you had company I’ll just.” He pointed to the door and escaped as quickly as he could.

For a few seconds, all movement ceased. Regina could feel the anxiety creep up her spine, but when Iris gave an annoyed snort and let her head fall to Regina’s shoulder, it ceased. “That dickface. I will never understand what she saw in him.”

“Neither will I.” Petra sighed. They untangled themselves and tried to put some distance between them, try to lessen the still budding arousal. “I have to admit, as disappointed that I am we were interrupted, I think that cooling down will be beneficial. We need to have a few conversations before we cross that…line.”

Regina’s brow furrowed. “What kind of conversations?”

“The kind that help us determine what you like and don’t like. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or upset during our time together.” Petra explained. She easily slipped her hadn’t into Regina’s and when Regina failed to immediately respond she pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. “We don’t have to do it right now. But I think we need to do it soon. Is that ok with the both of you?”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea.” Iris said. She curled up behind Regina and hooked her chin over her shoulder. The closeness of her and the sweet scent of her perfume calmed Regina. She took in a deep breath and nodded.

“That’s a good idea. I’ve….I don’t think I’ve ever had an honest conversation about my sexual needs and the things i dislike so…this will be a first for me. I ask that you be patient with me.” She practically whispered. Petra rubbed a hand up and down Regina’s arm.

“Of course my love. I would never do anything but try my best to be as understanding and patient as I possibly can be.” Petra promised and Regina believed her. They shared a kiss. Iris gave a hum of pleasure at the sight of them and quickly pulled Regina into a kiss as well.

xxx

For the remainder of their time at the house for the day, the trio spent it in Regina’s room. It was like their own little haven. Safe, quiet and peaceful. But that little slice of heaven wasn’t meant to last forever. Regina dreaded having to walk them to the door. Her entire demeanor screamed disappointment. Petra pressed two fingers under her chin and gently forced her to look up.

“How about a little getaway this weekend? I have some business in Paris Sunday evening. Iris and I were going to stay at one of our favorite hotels and make it a little vacation. Say you’ll come with us.” She practically begged. A smile easily slipped onto Regina’s face. She blushed at the imploring looks on Iris and Petra’s face.

“Yes. That would be great.” Her heart pounded at the thought of going out of her usual regime of places, but for the first time it was excitement instead of anxiety. Iris let out a tiny squeak of delight and pressed a kiss to Regina’s cheek.

“We’ll see you Friday night then. Good night love.”

“Good night.” They exchanged kisses once more—it was as if they could never get enough of those intimate moments.

When the door closed and Regina watched their car leave the driveway, her stomach decided it was time to alert her of its hunger. It was around 11 at night now, which meant Emilie was asleep. Sergio was still here and last she checked was in the kitchen with Camila speaking about something over a seminary never ending glass of wine. She dreaded having to watch the nauseating game he played, but knew avoiding the kitchen would lead to nothing but trouble for her health. So regina forced herself into the kitchen To her utter surprise it was blatantly lacking in Sergio’s presence. Only Camila sat in on the kitchen island, sipping a glass of wine that—from the bottle—was from their most recent batch. On her lap was a large sampler of chocolate. When she spotted Regina and her slightly incredulous expression, she blushed bright red.

“Are you having fun?” Regina questioned. She tried not to laugh at the guilty look on her face. She looked so much like Emilie it was laughable. Her expression exactly mirrored the look she gave when she was caught doing something she knew she wasn’t supposed to do.

“Alot of fun actually. Much more fun that is probably appropriate. Join me?” She patted the empty spot beside her and picked up another glass for the wine. Regina shrugged and hopped up onto the island. They shared a giggle as more wine was poured, and after the first two sips they fell into the familiar ease of their friendship. It had been a little strained lately. Sergio was taking up so much of Camila’s time that it seemed Regina hadn’t actually seen her friend in several weeks, despite the fact that they lived together. It hurt to realize the distance that was growing between them and though Regina would never say it out loud—she lost sleep over the reality that Camila might very well go back to Sergio. She might leave this house and return to the no doubt large mansion Sergio owned to rebuild her family.

“I missed you so much.” Camila whispered. “It’s so odd how we can be so distant in the same household.”

“It is very odd and in all honesty…upsetting…Do you think you and Sergio will get back together? Is that why he’s been coming around so often?” Regina asked, her voice low. She had to hold back the tears that so suddenlyburned at her eyes.

Camila sighed. She too began to look teary eyed. “…as much as I wish I could say no definitively, I….I can’t. He has this way of sucking me in. Making me forget all the horrible things he’s put me through. He always does this. Pushing me away then pulling me in when he’s bored. It was easier before Emilie to resist but now..I don’t want her to lose out on a relationship with her father. I didn’t know my father despite the fact that he was alive, and it hurts me to this day. Sergio is such an amazing faith to her.”

“But he’s horrible to you. He…” Regina pushed back the admittance on the tip of her tongue. She didn’t want her words to ruin Camila’s perception of Sergio if she truly wanted to go back with him. But Camila caught on and took her hand. It nearly melted Regina’s heart. Camila was such a gentle soul. Such a caring woman. She deserved so much better.

“He what?”

“He reminds me a lot of Leopold. My ex-husband. When he’s around I…I feel so sick to my stomach. That’s why I avoid him as much as I can because I’m afraid of going back to that place. I worked so hard to get out of it but Sergio just…” A tear slipped down her cheek. Camila gave a small gasp and pulled Regina into a hug. The warmth of a tear fell onto Regina’s back. She knew Camila was crying as well.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I thought you two got along I thought you were leaving to spend more time with Petra and Iris.” She sounded so devastated that it physically hurt Regina. She let another tear slip. 

“I do want to spend more time with them but I wanted to do it in the house. This place is supposed to be my home and I want to share it with my partners but, since Sergio has made more visits I find it more difficult to be comfortable here.” Regina admitted.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t notice. I—“ A small sob fell from Camila’s lips. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. I understand. I just…I thought you should know. It’s coming to a point where I just…I couldn’t not tell you.”

“I understand. And I will make sure to lay down the law for Sergio. He had the nerve to fall asleep on the couch earlier tonight. I know he did it on purpose. He’s trying to worm his way back and as much as my brain tells me to fight against his desires, my heart says something different.”

“And that’s ok. Things are still fresh. He was your husband and he gave you a child for Christ’s sake. But…I’ve met many a sleazy man in my life, but he’s high on the list. Tread carefully and don’t be afraid to come to me.” Regina said, her voice taking on a firm edge to emphasize her point.

“I won’t.”

They fell into a seamless silence and simply enjoyed their time together—time that had recently become so scarce. Neither of them saw the beady dark eyes watching them with blatant anger from the living room couch.

xxx

Friday afternoon arrived quickly. Regina felt that she’d just barely had enough time to get ready. She finished the most important things on her primping list, but the smaller details that were—realistically—a result of her overthinking habits. But, by the time Friday afternoon officially came about and she was standing on the porch, overnight bag in hand—she was thrilled beyond words. The drive seemed quick. Regina remembered very little of it and knew she spent the majority of her time sleeping. How could she not when Petra pulls her into her arms?

The hotel was glorious. Simplistic on the outside but opulent on the inside. When a bellhop led them up to a suite that was almost a large as the downstairs of her home, Regina nearly passed out.

The walls were covered in rococo inspired murals in pastel colors. The bed was _huge_ and draped in silk and all sorts of decadent looking materials. When their bags were put beside the bed and the bellhop was tipped, Petra turned around with a sheepish smile.

“Is this nice enough? I wasn’t sure how big you’d like it. I know you were a queen not too long ago and I’m sure you’ve seen better but—

“I have never seen something as wonderful as this. I may have been a queen but I didn’t want to be one. I want to be here, more than anywhere else in the world.” Regina whispered. Petra’s smile was blinding and the smaller woman couldn’t resist the urge the urge to pull her into a kiss.

It quickly turned into a deep, wet kiss. Regina moaned into it and leaned into the feeling of Petra’s hands wrapping around her waist. “Can you show me the bed?” Regina whispered between kisses. Iris moved her hair out of the way of her neck and pressed a kiss to her pulse. “Not yet my love. We have to have our conversation before we move onto anything else.” Iris said quietly. Regina let out a sigh but nodded.

“You’re right I just…I don’t know what to say.” She hid her face in Petra’s neck.

“How about I start? I’m not particularly fond of asphyxiation, fisting, any type of dub-con play or anything rough enough to injure me. What about you Petra?” Iris questioned. At the list of things—most of which Regina had tried at some point or another—Regina blushed. She felt Petra take in a deep breath before she spoke.

“I…” She cleared her throat. “I am not a fan of feet if I’m honest. I don’t want to give a blowjob to a toy though I’m more than happy to eat the both of you out without the toy.I don’t like obscuring my vision during intercourse or adding any types of weapons like prop knives or guns or anything like that.Do you think you can tell a little about what you don’t like?” She asked. 

“Yes.” Regina whispered. She had to pull at the deepest most courageous parts of herself to speak but once she did it wasn’t as difficult as it had seemed before. “I….I’m not the biggest fan of penetration. I think it could be negotiated once we’ve built more trust but right now I just…I don’t want to.”

“That’s perfect fine love. Anything else?” Petra asked.

“Uhm I…I don’t like bondage or being restricted in anyway. And I don’t like the use of wax candles.”

Iris looked up witha questioning gaze. “May I ask something?”

“Of course.” Regina replied.

“Does the penetration you are against include tongues? Or does it just go for toys and fingers?”

The thought of having Iris’ tongue inside her made Regina dizzy with need. “Just fingers and toys…for now like I said. It might sound stupid but I…I just—-

“—You don’t have to explain to us if you don’t want to love. We will respect your boundaries if you set them. No questions asked. And you can change your mind at any time.”

Regina gave a small nod. The fear that had been filing her before their talk was practically gone now. What was left was sheer arousal. She pushed herself up against Petra and pressed I kiss to Petra’s neck.

“Since we had the conversation could we possibly finish what we started in my room earlier this week?” Petra shivered and took a handful of Regina’s ass in her hands.

Iris gave a seductive giggle. “That sounds good to me.” The sound of fabric hitting the floor then Iris was unzipping Regina’s dress. Iris gave a small gasp as blood red lingerie was a revealed.

“You wore this for us love?”

“Of course I did. I hope you like it.” Regina said, her voice the tiniest bit unsure.

When her dress fell to the floor and the entire ensemble was revealed Petra let out a groan. Regina knew she looked good. Her figure was a still as stunning as ever and the set only accentuated it. It was a simple almost see through lacy bra and a matching lacy thong. Her assets were on display and for the first time in a long time she was proud. Then she looked back at Iris, who was also in a set of lingerie and nearly lost her mind.

Iris’ set was black, with a simple soft cup bra and a thong. When she caught Regina starring she smirked and pulled her into a kiss. Petra’s breathing was a speeding up. She seemed to be in a daze. When Regina was sure she had soaked through the fabric of her panties, Iris pulled away and looked back at her wife. “Are you going to take care of us love?”

A look Regina had never seen before crossed Petra’s face. It was impossible to resist and she knew it.

“Oh I’ll take care of you alright.” She practically growled. Regina's knees nearly buckled.

In a blur of limbs and lace they were on the bed in seconds and the moment Regina had been waiting for arrived. She was breathless and so fucking thankful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I know. I unintentionally do so many cliff hangers I'm sorry. I felt it was important for them to have an honest--if brief-- conversation about the things they strongly dislike. Also, I'm setting up for some Sergio stuff 👀. It's all for a reason I promise. I didn't want to fill this chapter up too much. Thank you for reading! If you need more of these ladies the first one-shot is up so go check it out! The work is called the Moments in Between and I love it lot already I can't wait to share more.


	12. Christmas: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope you all are having a good week so far! I'm a little nervous about this chapter but felt it was interesting enough to put out despite my reservations. I hope you enjoy!

Regina climbed onto the plush bed of the luxurious hotel room. She was practically panting with excitement and when she felt the bed dip to accommodate Iris and Petra, she couldn’t resist the urge to reach out to at-least one of them. The first she found was Petra. Just the simple touch of Regina’s skin reignited the powerful aura of lust that had been permeating so fiercely a few seconds ago. It had flickered for a brief moment as the warm and fuzzy feelings took over, but it was back with a vengeance.

Petra pounced on Regina with a growl and ripped off her bra and panties in a second. Though ripped was a bit of an exaggeration. She was careful as ever, even as she gave the impression of ravenousness.

“As much as I like this set darling—-I need it off now.” She growled before pressing a kiss to the valley between Regina’s breasts. Iris—the more impatient of the two—could not resist the temptation of Regina’s bare breasts. She leaned down, her long hair tickling Regina's sides as she moved—and pulled Regina’s left nipple into her warm, wet mouth. Regina keened at the feeling, one she’d become accustomed to not feeling since her last relationship. Petra took the other nipple into her hand and pulled just hard enough. Regina’s back arched and she took her lover’s head in her hands.

“Fuck! You both feel so good!” She moaned. When Petra let go she whined, but then her hand began to move towards her dripping center and Regina froze.

“Do you need me to slow down?” Petra questioned.

“No…I don’t think so. Just…please don’t go inside yet.”“I won’t my darling. You set your limit and we both will adhere to it. Do you want to touch one of us first?” Regina nodded her head.

“I never got a chance to touch you Iris. Please—can I?”

“Of course darling. Please.” Iris leaned towards Regina and pulled her panties to the side—exposing her soaking wet folds to the air and siphoninga shiver. The small blonde pulled Regina’s hand towards her and gave a moan when she was finally touched. Regina hadn’t been with a woman for decades. Not since her days as the Evil Queen. She’d exclusively been with men—most likely some unconscious display of power—but at this moment she couldn’t exactly remember why she’d chosen them over this.

Iris was so soft and wet. Regina’s hand shook as she pressed into her entrance. Her breathing was shaky but she was loving every second of it. “Is it ok if I go inside?” Regina asked.

“Yes! Fuck me please!” Iris whined. Petra gave a low chuckle and pressed kisses to Regina’s neck before sliding up to whisper in her ear.

“Iris loves to me fucked darling. She’s a true bottom that way. Her pussy was simply made to be fucked. Go ahead, go inside. You’ll see what I mean.” She whispered. Her surprisingly dirty words made Regina drip—she felt a bead of her juices fall from her entrance to the bedding below and it was hard to ignore. She did as Petra suggested, carefully dipping a finger into Iris’ pussy and moaning at the silky softness of it. Regina thrust her finger deeper and when she pulled out on instinct, she inserted another finger. Iris gave a high pitched moan and arched her back. She reached down suddenly and gripped Regina’s wrist.

“Go fast, please.” She whimpered. Regina had no choice but to oblige. She felt like heaven wrapped around Regina’s fingers. Regina couldn’t help but let out a small whimper as she sped up. She’d missed this. Missed the riveting and comforting connection that could only come from another woman. Missed the feeling of a wet pussy clutching her fingers and drawing her in. She pulled out for only a second—shuddering at the whine of complaint Iris gave—before bringing her face in front of Iris’ soaked folds.` Her natural perfume was divine.

She was perfect. Ripened, blushing and dripping. Regina almost couldn’t control herself, but she had too much respect and cared too much about these women to do anything other than ask first.

“Can I taste you? Please?”

“Ugh yes!—Wait. Can I taste you too?” Iris questioned. She began to sit up and as Regina nodded frantically, she gave a bright smile. Petra was still on the bed, but she seemed content to just watch. She still had on her blouse, but wore only a pair of dark panties outside of that. Her hand slipped past the band of them and as she caressed her folds, a soft moan fell from her lips. It took a few seconds to get the set-up correct. Iris seemed to instinctually know that Regina wanted—more like needed to—be on top, so they adjusted accordingly. Regina knew just enough about modern pornography to know the position they were in was usually called—’69’. Her face was as close to Iris’ soaking pussy as it could get, while her own soaked core was right in front of Iris’ face.

Iris—impatient woman she was—moved first. She sent a broad lick from Regina’s clit up to her entrance. Regina’s back arched and she let out a loud moan that radiated up Iris’ pussy. She whined but pressed forward. It took a few seconds for Regina to gather herself and maintain enough focus to reciprocate. The first taste of Iris made her head spin. She was so sweet and tangy and absolutely perfect that Regina nearly lost her mind. Instinct took over and she was licking, sucking and fucking without thought.

Based on the sounds coming out of Iris’ mouth and the excited hitches of Petra’s breath. She was doing a good job. She could barely focus, barely breath before her own body was filling with pleasure. Iris came first though, with a keening mewl and a jerk of her hips. Just as Regina pressed her tongue as deep as it could go, a wave of juices fell over her. The feeling pushed her over the edge and an orgasm fell over her as well. Petra let out a sob of pleasure before coming last—literally. 

Regina just barely managed to crawl off of Iris before collapsing. She pulled the smaller woman’s hands around her waist and let out a sigh of relief as she felt her cuddle up to Regina’s back.

They fell into sleep easily.

xxx

Regina woke with a gasp of fear. Her heart was racing, her entire body was frozen in fear. Even her skin was crawling with tiny aches and pains—indicative of her need for the stillness only isolation gave. She needed to get up. She needed to escape. Regina slipped out of the arms wrapped around her—two sets, both so comforting but restricting after a dream like the one Region had just endured. Luckily, neither of their grips were so strong as to keep her from moving completely.

She slipped on a robe—one that was probably not hers, but the slightly oversized nature of it made her feel safe—-then moved to her purse to grab a pack of cigarettes. She neededa distraction right now, a stress relief.There was a balcony on the other side of the room, and she made her way there with ease. As she opened the door and felt the cold wind caress her skin, a breath of relief spilled from her lips. The air in this city felt so much more…free than Storybrooke. Maybe it had more to do with the fact that this place was real and not essential a figment of her imagination. Not a result of dark magic that only served to remind Regina of the worst parts of herself.

Regina stepped up to the railing and leaned over to observe the shining lights of the various buildings surrounding the hotel—like stars in the darkest of skies, they comforted her. She lit the cigarette and brought it to her lips.

These dreams were no uncommon occurrences. Despite how long it’d been since she’d been married—the memories would always haunt her. She suspected that because of her ‘activities’ earlier, the memories of her worst experiences were coming to the surface. Luckily she hadn’t had the reactionsshe usually did. Henry had always been a heavy sleeper, so he hardly heard her many nightmares. Unfortunately, it had never occurred to her that she’d have to contend with a new relationship with not only one but two women. And now, that was all she could think about.

Regina took a drag. Her hands shaking. Would it get worse now that they were being intimate? It had already seemed so overwhelming. Was there more to expect from her colored past? Would there be more incidents and more uncertainty and more memories resurfacing?

“Regina?” Petra asked. Her voice words were sluggish—she was still half asleep which meant she was adorably ruffled and squinty without her glasses. She wrapped her arms around Regina’s waist when she heard no sound of protest, then hooked her chin over her shoulder. “You ok?”

“I’m…I had a horrible dream. I had to come out here to collect myself. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t say sorry my love.” She squeezed her arms tight around Regina’s waist. Just tight enough to push all of the negative emotions out with a shaky sigh. “ You have every right to get up and leave when you need it.” Even though she was half asleep, she still managed to make Regina feel at ease. And the ease only grew when the door opened and Iris shuffled out. She was naked but didn’t seem to care.

“The bed is cold. Hurry up and come back to bed.” She demands with a pout of her lips. Petra chuckled and Regina took one more drag of her cigarette before letting herself be dragged into the bedroom.

xxx

Petra’s business was concluded quickly and easily. As it turned out, she’d only had to convince a client to sign a few more documents than previously agreed upon—documents that gave her firm more money apparently. It took a brunch to seal the deal. By the middle of Sunday, they were off back to Provence. Paris seemed miles away by the time Regina pulled up to the house. It wasn’t empty, but ti was thankfully empty of one particular person. When Camila and Emilie greeted her in the kitchen, both of them seemed more lackluster than usual.

Regina pretended not to notice, until it became too noticeable to ignore. She only addressed it after Emilie went to sleep. They were in the living room—wine in hand, candles on—when she gathered enough courage.

“I was only gone two days. What happened?” She asked quietly. 

“Sergio tried to come over. I told him off and he got upset. I have the worst feeling about it. I always did have this feeling that if I denied him something horrible would happen…It sounds so dramatic but—"

“It’s not dramatic. It’s valid if you’re feeling it. We’ll both have to be vigilant.”

Camila didn’t respond verbally. She only nodded her head and cuddled closer to Regina.

For the next few weeks, things seemed to move at a snail’s pace. On any other week, that would’t have been the worst thing but of course—Sergio had to make things as horrible as possible. He took Camila’s words to heart apparently and made a show of his ‘hurt’. He essentially disappeared. He didn’t call Emilie, he didn’t visit her or request to see her—soon enough, it was a week before Christmas and he didn’t show his face once since Camila had kindly asked him to stop treating her new house like his house.

His sudden disappearance devastated Emilie. She’d just gotten used to having him back full time—just as she’d been privately dreaming of since the ‘split’. Seeing her sad face and her seeing her lose interest in her favorite activities made Regina’s dislike of him grow even more. She tried to distract her, but it was hard considering the upcoming holiday—potentially the first without her father. Speaking of the upcoming holiday.

The phone rang quietly in Regina’s ear. She gave a nervous swallow just before the person on the other end of the line answered.

 _“Hello? ‘Gina?_ ” Zelena said.

“Hey Z—I hope I’m not interrupting anything.

 _“Of course you’re not. Are you calling to confirm our flight information for the third time?”_ Her tone was full of playful energy.

Regina blushed. “Maybe. I’m sorry I just—I’m excited and I’m also worried.”

_“Worried about what? It’s all going to work out. We’ll be arriving in two days—the night before Christmas Eve. Henry is arriving the day after Christmas and we’ll all be spending the days leading up to New Years Day together. Does that sound correct to you? Does me reciting this help at all?”_

Regina gave a small chuckle. “Yes it does. I know it might seem over the top but I want things to go well. This means a lot to me. I want you all to get along and I don’t want anything to go wrong. I need for things to not go wrong Z. It’s been a trying few months but….I can see myself building a life here. I can see myself being happy but I can’t do that until all the pieces of my life come together."

_“And they will. You made the right decision in choosing you and moving on to find who you truly are. I wish I could do the same, but Rosie’s settled in this idiotic town. She’s made friends and to be quite honest….I don’t know if I can handle the outside world.”_

“It’s overwhelming at times—I won’t lie. But…I’m happy I did what I did. Maybe one day you’ll be able to find a place to do the same.”

“I sure hope so.” A noise in the background stole both Regina and Zelena’s attention. It was followed by an eery toddler laugh. Regina shook her head in disbelief. Last she heard, Rosalie was just developing her magic and was now beginning to act out in various magic related moments. She was incredibly thankful that Henry didn’t have magic. His childhood would have been a literal hell on earth for her if he had.

“That doesn’t sound good. You should check in on that just in case something has gone wrong.” Regina suggested with a chuckle. Zelena sighed.

_“That is probably wise advice. I’ll see you soon. I can’t wait to meet the crew.”_ Her voice was warm and melted Regina's heart just a little bit.

They gave quiet goodbyes then hung up.

In what felt like the blink of an eye, Christmas Eve was upon them.Camila was apparently incredibly attached to the holiday—more so than others—so she made a point to stock pile decorations and make several Pinterest boards full of ideas. They went with the traditional colors—red, green and gold. The days leading up to Christmas day were full of Christmas themed crafts, decoration ‘sessions’ and baking. The house was full of Christmas cheer and it made Regina’s heart happy. She’d enjoyed Christmas before—solely because of Henry—but now it felt even more special. Her first Christmas away from Storybrooke.

On the morning of Christmas eve, they all piled into Camila’s car to head to the airport. Dressed to the nines—Regina in an olive green sweater and jeans, Camila in a dark purple blouse and a skirt and Emilie in a little sweater dress Regina found to be beyond adorable—-they waited in excited anticipation for Zelena to call and inform Regina that she landed.

The airport was packed, but it went hard to find Zelena and Rosalie in the crowd. Both their bright red head of hair stuck out. Regina’s bright smile grew even brighter as they locked eyes. Rosalie let out a loud squeal of delight and was squirming and wiggling to free herself from Zelena’s grip and make her way to her auntie. When they got close, Regina practically ran to her sister’s side. They shared a long, warm hug.

Regina’s entire being practically melted at the familiarity of Zelena’s presence. “I’m so fucking glad you’re here.”

“I’m glad I’m here too. I can’t wait to see the wonderful life you’ve built here.” They hugged for a few more seconds, before Rosalie made her presence known.

She was growing so fast. When Regina left, she’d just barely been walking. Now, she was clearly more stable and looked more and more like a little human being than the little squish of pink Regina had come to live—despite everything.Regina gave a coo of delight before picking the little lady up out of her mother’s arms. “Hello my little rose! I have missed you so much. _Feliz Navidad mi amor! Feliz Navidad!”_

Rosalie gave a giggle and pressed her hand to Regina’s cheek. “ _Tia ‘Gina!_ ” She squealed.

Regina’s heart nearly felt out of her chest. The tiny voice speaking the term of endearment made her heart soar.

“My sweet baby!” Regina tearfully said ,before kissing Rosalie’s red-haired head. A clearing of a throat broke her out of her stupor. Camila and Emilie. “I’m sorry I’m being so selfish. Zelena—Emilie, meet my close friend Camila and her amazing daughter Emilie.”

Camila took a small step forward and held out her hand for a shake. “It’s nice to finally meet you. We’ve heard so much about you.”

“Pleasant things I hope. And put that hand away, we’re huggers in this family.” The red-haired woman moved forward and enveloped Camila in a warm hug. When they let go, Zelena turned to Emilie. The girl gave a small wave before stepping forward and opening her arms for a hug—she was hesitant but her eyes were hopeful. Zelena gave a bright smile.

The moment they hugged, it was like everything in the world was alright again. Regina’s breath was stolen right from her lungs by a surge of happiness. Now, all that was left was bringing Henry here.

xxx

They went to a small cafe for a bit of food before returning to the house. On the way, Zelena seemed enraptured by the sights around her.

“This place is insanely gorgeous. It reminds me so much of…home—but in agood way. Not in a way that makes me want to crawl into a hole and never come out.” Regina couldn’t help but snort at her words. At least until Camila turned around with a curious gaze.

“Did you and Regina grow up in the same place?” She questioned.

Regina’s heart stopped. She looked towards Zelena, practically pleading with her eyes for her to say something that added into the story she’d essentially created for the sake of appearances. Zelena gave her a suspicious glance, before speaking.

“Not exactly. I grew up in Britain—quite obviously based on this bloody accent—and didn’t know I had a sister until a few years ago.” Regina let out a small breath of relief.

“That’s crazy. I can’t believe neither you knew of each other until adult hood that’s—shit. Oh shit.” The car stopped abruptly. On the stoop of the stairs, with a heap of presents in his lap sat Sergio. Regina’s heart fell to the floor. “Stay here. I need to figure out what the fuck he’s doing here.” She left the car in a huff of angry breath and rage. Zelena was frozen and Rosalie and Emilie were looking on with fear in their eyes. Zelena turned other younger sister.

“You didn’t tell her?!”

“Z—that’s the least concerning event of the moment right now, I assure you. I’ve been planning to-- I just haven’t had the time or the opportunity. It’s been an incredibly stressful few weeks—few months in all honesty—for Camila. I didn’t want to make it worse.”

“And keeping it from her won’t?! You’ve gone mad haven’t you. I can’t believe—"

Zelena was interrupted by Camila’s return to the car. She looked furious but also incredibly apologetic. She met Regina’s eyes and instantly Regina knew what was about to come out of her mouth.

“He’s staying isn’t he?” She asked.

“He says he’s been giving us the space we requested and preparing for Christmas. I’d kick him out of Emilie hadn’t already seen him….I can arrange for you to stay at a hotel for the afternoon if it’s truly a problem. Please, don’t let my ex—husband’s inappropriate behavior.”

Zelena’s eyebrow raised. “Ex-husband you say? I want to meet this bloke. We’ll most definitely be staying here tonight I want to meet the man of the hour. Come along now.” Zelena gathered her and Rosalie’s luggage and got out of the car.

It was decided then.

Shit, this was not going to end well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sergio's coming to Christmas!! Which means Zelena might have a chance to rip him a new one and he just might meet Henry...Who knows? I have a dilemma because I still have a few ideas for Regina's life before About Time but I don't know if I should put them here at some point or just put them in the one-shot fic. If you have any suggestions let me know! Thanks for reading!


	13. Christmas: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing well! Sorry this wasn't out last night, I had to tweak a few things. I hope you enjoy!

Zelena was far from a shy woman. She was far from demure. As a matter of fact, Regina knew that it was very likely she hadn’t been shy or even unassuming a day in her life.She made her presence known from the moment she stepped into Regina’s life, and the same went for Regina’s new one—just in a more pleasant sense. It was a relief for Regina to feel her familiar presence in such a new environment. Sergio often acted as if he owned the house and most of the inhabitants, but Regina knew he had _no_ chance to continue acting in such a manner while Zelena was around. She’d rip him a new one.

They all entered the house together slowly, without proper introductions just yet—as Regina was not in the mood to have to face Sergio and watch as he categorized every aspect of Zelena’s person with that smug look on his ugly face. Zelena burst into the house with a truly happy smile, looking about with a delightful chuckle and a joy-filled light in her eyes. “This place is magnificent darling. I can see the touches of you all over the place ‘Gina. It’svery elegant, very chic. I can understand why you’d choose this place over bloody boring Maine.”

Sergio cleared his throat. “Speaking of Maine—you’ve never actually shown us what the little town you were the mayor of for so long Regina. Maybe we can see some during dinner tomorrow night? ” He asked, his expression amused as his gaze flickered between Regina and Camila.

He knew damn well Iris and Petra were coming for dinner tomorrow night and he knew damn well that he wasn’t invited—but that Camila wouldn’t want to cause a scene or appear improper by denying him the right to stay and see his daughter for Christmas dinner as was their tradition. And if he stayed for the dinner he’d most likely make some sort of excuse to stay at least for another night.

And Camila would most likely oblige to keep Emilie happy.

Shit.

Camila cleared her throat and tossed him a clearly unamused expression—one he seemed to take with a grain of salt unfortunately—before chuckling tensely.“That sounds like a great idea. But I’m sure Zelena and Rosalie could use a short rest before the festivities begin. Regina, would you like to show them to the guest room.”

“That would be great. It’s—“ She reached down to take their bags, but to her surprise found her hand grazing a surprisingly soft but still brutally masculine one. Regina ripped her hand away and looked up at Sergio. She gave him a fierce glare, one that questioned just exactly what he was doing.

He gave her his impression of a genuine smile. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself carrying such heavy luggage. Let me help.” He offered.

Regina’s first instinct was to tell him no, but before she got the chance Zelena was giving him a dramatically impressed expression. She held out her bag for him and he took it, as well as the large suitcase near the floor. She batted her eyelashes at him and—on the surface—seemed to be taken with him. But Regina could see the calculating cogs turning behind her blue eyes. It gave Regina the slightest bit of satisfaction to know Zelena felt as unsettled by him as she did.

“My prince charming—coming to rescue my luggage and spare my sister the trouble. You’ve won me over already.” She exclaimed in a sarcastic tone, placing a hand on his bicep and practically pulling him with her towards the guest room. Rosalie gave a little yawn in Regina’s ear. She looked up at her aunt with those beautiful blue eyes of hers and tried to give a little smile but it was clear she was exhausted. Poor thing most likely hadn’t slept a wink on the flight. She needed a nap. Regina pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Soon little one.” Regina promised, before leading the way. Sergio was making a point to make as much conversation as possible. It seemed his plan of action was to win Zelena over with his charm, but he was missing the obvious exhaustion on her features. But regina didn’t dare question him or even try to save Zelena. He wouldn’t listen anyway.

After a few minutes, Zelena sat down on the guest bed and gave a sigh. It caused Sergio to pause and give a chuckle. “Tired are you? I know those flights on domestic airlines must be challenging. I haven’t been on one in—-

“I know you must love the hear the sound of your own voice but I can assure you, I do not. I’m exhausted quite frankly and I’d like it if you could make yourself scarce for the next few hours so i can sleep in peace. Please?” Her tone was sugary sweet but her words shape as a knife. Sergio gave a nervous chuckle and a bow.

“Until later my lady—I apologize for disturbing you. I hope you and the little lady sleep well.”

He finally seemed to get the message that Zelena was too tired to be entertained by his schmoozing—technically, it would have been around 2 in the morning Maine time, so Regina anticipated not seeing much of either of them until tomorrow. Which was a good thing, only in the sense that hopefully, in the time took for them to sleep off their jet lag, she could figure out a nonlethal way to get Sergio out of her house. But as always, Camila seemed to be one step ahead of her.When they came back downstairs Camila stalked up to him and didn’t hesitate to slap him in the face. He had the nerve to look affronted and Regina had to hold back from chuckling. Emilie was in the garden, spending some time in the chilly sun reading before coming in for lunch so Regina had free rein of her mouth and her reactions to Sergio for the time being.

 _“Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas avec toi? Disparaissant comme ça! Tu as fait peur à la pauvre Emilie. Elle était tellement désemparée qu'elle a à peine mangé ou dormi. Elle était inquiète. J'étais inquiet et pourtant, vous avez le culot de venir ici comme si vous n'aviez rien fait de mal. Vous feriez mieux d'avoir une explication brillante!”_ (What the fuck is wrong with you? Disappearing like that! You scared poor Emilie out of her wits. She was so distraught she barely ate or slept. She was worried. I was worried and yet, you have the nerve to come here as if you've done nothing wrong. You'd better have a brilliant explanation!)

He gave a scoff as he held his throbbing jaw. When Camila took a threatening step forward he held up his hands in surrender. _“Je te donnais ce que tu voulais. Vous m'avez dit de me distancier de la maison et je l'ai fait. Je ne comprends pas pourquoi vous êtes si agressif et bouleversé à ce sujet. Tu m'as dit de—”_ (I was giving you what you wanted. You told me to distance myself from the house and I did. I don't understand why you are being so aggressive and upset about this. You told me to)

His words were measured and bitter. They came out more like a hiss than anything and on instinct Regina felt her body tense. But she pulled herself out of it just enough to scoff at his attempts at manipulation.

“You’re kidding, right?” She questioned. He had the nerve to look up at her with “confusion”. Before she could chew him out, of course Emilie chose that moment to come back from the cold. She was in a little sweat and skirt that made her eyes shine bright. She looked between her parental figures with curiosity. She was wise enough to note the tension between them, but smart enough to question it.

 _“J'ai faim maman. Est-ce encore l'heure du déjeuner?”_ (I’m hungry Mama. Is it lunchtime yet?)

 _“C'est très certainement possible. Venez, je vais vous faire quelque chose à manger._ (It most certainly can be. Come, I’ll make you something to eat.)” Camila replied, when she reached for Emilie’s hand, the girl looked up at her father.

Her eyes grew wet. “Will Papa be coming to see me tomorrow? Like he always does? And will he here tonight, so we can drink hot cocoa next to the fire place like we always do?” She began to sound distressed at the thought of not having her father with her for—what perceived to be very important events, and Regina was quick to assure her.

“Of course darling! It is Christmas after all. I am certain Papa has enough time to do all of those things with you. Right?” She looked up at the man, a glare from the deepest pits of her soul. She would not allow him to take his anger with Camila and her out on Emilie. None of this was her fault. She shouldn’t be punished by way of the loss of her father’s presence just because Sergio was a disgusting piece of shit, her mother was sentimental and Regina was so broken just his presence made her sick.

“ _J'adorerais ma beauté! J'ai dégagé mon emploi du temps pour vous et je n'aimerais rien de plus que de passer les prochains jours à profiter des vacances avec vous, maman, Regina et sa famille._ (I would love to my beauty! I have cleared my schedule for you and would love nothing more than to spend the next few days enjoying the holiday with you, Mama, Regina and her family.)” Sergio said, a look of excitement overtaking his face. It brought a relieved smile to Emilie’s face and she launched herself into his arms before running into the kitchen.

Before following her child, Camila glared at her ex-husband. “We’re not done having this conversation. We will be dealing with this.”

He gave a solemn nod. “I understand. In the meantime, I’m going to go take care of a few things. I’ll be back for dinner and hot cocoa.” He gave a small salute before gathering his things and heading out the door. Regina had the worst feeling that he would be making himself a near constant over the course of the next few days.

xxx

The day slipped by quickly. Zelena and Rosalie took a nap that lasted for about an hour or two, before waking and heading downstairs to truly greet Camila and Emilie. Camila was infatuated with Rosalie from the second she got her first shy hello. And vice-versa. Watching them together made Regina’s heart soar.By sundown, the weather fell even closer to what was expected of winter, which meant they were in the house for the majority of the evening staying warm. There wasn’t central heat just yet, so they would be relying mostly on heaters and the fireplace until the electrician could come next month. As Regina made dinner, she felt Zelena’s presence as she came closer. Camila was with the kids in the living room, which meant Zelena was most likely coming over to confront Regina about something or another.

The red-head cleared her throat. “You really haven’t told her—have you?”

Regina took in a deep breath through her nose. “No. No I haven’t. But I plan to— I promise it’s just…with Sergio coming around and with us rebuilding the house and starting the business it just…it never felt like the right time.”

“Is there ever a right time to reveal a past as sordid as ours?” She questioned in a solemn tone. She seemed to genuinely be worried for Regina, which was refreshing. But the reality of her concern made reminded Regina that she was treading a dangerous line. The longer she waited to tell Camila, the more danger she was in of losing the friendship she valued so deeply. But would telling her destroy all she’d worked so hard to maintain?

It hadn’t been that way with Iris and Petra—but they didn’t have a small child who was looking up to Regina and who would be in danger if she were to be exposed to Regina and her traumatic past. It hurt to think about—which was why she didn’t often think of it—but it was necessary.

Regina took in a deep breath. “I’ll do it after Christmas. I don’t want to ruin Christmas for Camila or for Emilie. Iris and Petra already know and they took it well enough, though I fear they may not fully believe me. But I don’t know how to show them what I’ve been saying is the truth. At least not without hurting them or scarring them or life.”

“Maybe I can ship some magical artifacts over to you after the holidays? Harmless things of course. A few magical items that would be safe enough to show to them.” Zelena suggested quietly. Regina had thought about bringing something or another from Storybrooke to back up her story —but she couldn’t think of anything that wouldn’t make her want to jump off of a cliff. They hadn’t said anything outright, but she could tell that the more fantastic aspects of her life still didn’t compute to her partners. And she needed them to understand fully that she was not as much like them despite what appearances might suggest.

“That sounds good. I appreciate that.” Regina said with a small smile. Soon though, their solitude was interrupted by an adorable squeal of excitement. Rosalie bounded into the kitchen behind Emilie. Emilie ran to Regina and wrapped her tiny arms around Regina’s waist, while Rose ran up to her mother and practically crawled up her legs to get held.

Camila came in after them shortly after, obviously out of breath. “Jesus—what are we feeding these kids?? They’re so fast.”

A knock on the door interrupted the hilarity and almost instantly Regina felt her mood shift. But she held it in to keep Emilie happy. Even if every time he spoke a piece of her soul shriveled up.

xxx

As Regina expected, Sergio convinced Camila to let him stay the night so he could spend Christmas morning with Emilie. He was staying on an air mattress because of course he came prepared. As Camila took Emilie up to bed Regina took it upon herself to bring him some sheets and a blanket. He was bothering Camila enough, she might as well take the heat off of her for a test a few minutes.Zelena was asleep, as was Rosalie—since the jet lag never really left—so she had no real backup if this were to go south. But she fought to keep the panic down. He was just turning off the inflation of the bed when Regina entered the living room. In her hands were a set of sheets and a small blanket. It would do for the night, as he was in near the fireplace.

She cleared her throat to get his attention. He spun around at the soundand when he noticed her gave a smile that sent shivers up her spine. “Regina! What a pleasant surprise! What can I do for you?”

“You can do nothing for me. I only came down to bring sheets and blankets to help you sleep. Camila’s putting Emilie down, so I didn’t want you to disturb her.”

"I wouldn’t disturb her—at least not intentionally. I only aim to keep my family together as you know.” Regina had to keep from rolling her eyes. “Can you do me a favor before you go back upstairs?”

“What do you want?”

“A cup of chamomile tea would be brilliant. I didn’t want to rummage through your kitchen. I thought it best if I ask one of the house members instead of invading your territory.” Something about his words and the cadence behind them—the smugness and the arrogance made her squirm. So making tea to get as far away from his as possible sounded like a good idea.

She sighed. “Fine.” She dropped the sheets and blankets into his hands before escaping to the kitchen. She wasn’t alone for long though. She didn’t hear his footsteps, but could feel as the energy of the room shifted when he came closer. He came up behind her and reached up for the box of tea above her head. His chest brushed up her back and something hard and familiar brushed up against her back. Regina trembled in fear. Her breathing became labored but her expression remained as calm and stoic as possible.

She took the tea from him and practically ran to the other side of the room under the guise of grabbing a tea cup instead of a mug. She nearly dropped the damn thing as he let out a chuckle.

“Your sister is beautiful—but not nearly as beautiful as you. It makes me wonder what your mother looks like, if she managed to produce such beautiful daughters.”

“She’s dead and she didn’t like pictures.” She snapped, grabbing the now hissing kettle and pouring him his tea—no sugar—before practically forcing it into his hands. “What is it you really want? Why do you insist on coming around this place when you were the one who willingly left Camila in the first place?”

He took a step forward—his eyes shined with amusement as they almost always seemed to do when he looked at Regina—and Regina instinctually took a step back. When she felt the counter hit the small of her back she nearly vomited.

“I realized that I made a major mistake. I was blinded by my…greed and arrogance. I need Camila and Emilie in my life, just as they need me in theirs. And no matter how much you pretend to dislike me, that will not change.” His breath was tickling the side of her neck. She gulped.

“What makes you think I’m pretending? I’ve never been one to pretend. If I dislike you—you’ll know.”

“Then why is it I feel such a…tension between us.” He took yet another step towards Regina. Her heart was beating so fast it was nearly pumping out of her chest. That hardness made an appearance once again against her belly.For a second Sergio’s face mixed with another man’s. Much older and much more terrifying but not much different in all honesty. Tears burned behind her eyes. It took a lot of energy to speak.

“What you’re feeling is my disgust towards you. If you sense anything else it’s because you have fooled yourself into thinking I don’t despise you.” She whispered. He took one more tiny step—at this point, he was so close their chests touched. He seemed to be enjoying every second of this close contact and was reveling in making her as uncomfortable as possible. Regina was on the verge of falling apart. It had been a _long_ time since she’d felt this afraid of a man and even though she had her magic she knew she wouldn’t be using it here. She wouldn’t risk. And though she could probably hold him off if it came to it, he was still taller and bigger than her.

Sergio took a deep breath before backing up with a smirk on his face.He gave her a small nod before leaving and entering the living room. Regina didn’t wait to see exactly where he went or what he did after settling on the blow up bed. She just ran up to her bedroom and made sure to lock the door behind her. Her armor only lasted ten minutes. The tears were nearly constant and her breathing was becoming increasingly erratic. On instinct, she dialed the only number she knew by heart. The one that gave her access to two of the only people in this world she trusted enough to fall apart like this.

It took three rings before someone answered. It was around 8:45 now, so they were most likely awake. Petra answered first. _“Hello love, are you alright?”_ She sounded worried. She knew Regina wouldn’t just call out of nowhere. Usually she only called when she desperately missed them, or when she wanted to check in after a hard day.

“I-I’m not ok. Please—I” A small sob fell from her lips. She could practically see the way Petra perked up in worry at the sound. Regina couldn’t even make it to the bed. She simply let her body fall to the ground and slide into a corner.

_“What happened? What do you need?”  
_

“Sergio. He-he got so close and I know he didn’t do anything but I felt like he was going to and I was so scared and I-I—”

 _“I’m going to kill that son of a bitch. We’re on our way right now.”_ Petra growled. In the background, a light voice called out. Iris.

_“Is that Regina? Hi Regina!”_

_“Yes it’s Regina but she’s in trouble. We need to—”_

“No! No wait I—if you show up out of the blue Camila will know. He didn’t even do anything and I don’t think he would have I just….I got scared. He reminds me so much of Leopold and when he got so close he just….I’m fine. It’s fine.”

_“It is not fine! You are in pain, afraid. I’ll strangle him—”_

“—No you won’t I just. I needed to hear your voices so I could calm down. I’m almost there just…stay on the phone please?”

 _“Of course darling. Whatever you need. How about I tell you about our day?”_ Iris suggested. Regina let out a sigh of relief.

“That’d be great.”

With a clearing of her throat, Iris began to speak. She told Regina in as animated, yet calm a voice as possible about the events of the day. Her tone and the mere sound of her voice calmed Regina down slowly but surely. She rested her head on the wall and listened as Petra and Iris bickered back and forth.

Before falling asleep, she couldn’t help but think about how much she couldn’t wait for them to come over tomorrow.

xxx

Regina was the first to wake on Christmas morning. She was in the kitchen before sunrise, concocting some brilliant Christmas breakfast to distract herself from Sergio’s presence. After taking some time to think, she determined that telling Camila would be pointless. He didn’t technically cross any lines and her reaction really had nothing to do with him. It had more to do with her past and his similarities to her ex-husband than anything.Though she wouldn’t tell Camila, she sure as hell would purposefully be around Sergio. The first to come down was of course Emilie. She raced down the stairs in her pajamas—her dark hair wild and her eyes bright—a jumping up and down in joy at the mountain of presents under the tree. Sergio must have added a few while they slept.

 _“Papillon! Papillon! Vous êtes éveillé et vous préparez le petit déjeuner si merveilleux! Aujourd'hui va être génial, je le sens! C'est Noël, c'est Noël c'est Noël!!_ (Butterfly! Butterfly! You're awake and making breakfast you're so wonderful! Today is going to be great I can feel it! It's Christmas, It's Christmas, it's Christmas!!)” She squealed.

Regina gigged and pulled her into a hug. She pressed a kiss to the girl’s cheek before putting her down. “ _Bonjour petit chéri! Joyeux Noël! J'espère que vous aimez le petit déjeuner que j'ai préparé!_ (Good morning little darling! Merry Christmas! I hope you like the breakfast I have prepared!)”

 _“Je suis certain que ça va avoir un goût incroyable. Bonjour à vous deux, belles dames._ (I'm positive it's going to taste amazing. Good morning both of you lovely ladies.)” Sergio said from the stairs. Emilie squealed in joy and ran up to him, climbing him like a try before hugging him. He looked over at Regina with the same amount smugness as he usually did, but before he could speak the door bell rang. She didn’t hesitate to turn her back to him and run to the door.

Relief filled her, as the door opened to reveal Iris and Petra. Iris was armed with her usual bright smile, though her eyes were unsure. Petra stood beside her, arm full of presents and her expression full of rage. Iris let out a huff of air—a clear indication that she was nervous—and shifted unsurely on her feet.

“I know we were supposed to come for dinner but after last night it just…it didn’t sit right to leave you here by yourself. I mean I know you’re not by yourself but—“ Regina interrupted her with a kiss. They smiled into the intimate act before pulling away. Regina pressed one to Petra’s lips before pulling away and looking between the both of them.

“This is…perfect. Thank you so much. I can’t wait for you to meet Zelena and Rosalie. Come in, come in.” She ushered them inside and as she shut the door, yelled behind her.

“We have guests. Zelena, Camila come greet them!”

The sound of shuffling feet and groans filled the living room as Camila and Zelena got up from the couch and made their way over. Emilie followed after them, which seemed to greatly upset Sergio. He glared at the back of his ex-wife but didn’t say a word.

“Zelena…I’d like you to meet my partners. Iris Kent and Petra Kent. Iris, Petra, meet my sister and niece—Zelena and Rosalie.”

Iris moved first. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She said as she held out her hand. Zelena shook it with ease and—to everyone’s surprise—a sleepy Rose reached out for Iris to take her. With a coo of satisfaction, Iris took her. They were glued together for the rest of the morning practically. Emilie was at either Regina or Zelena’s side after the excitement of her father’s presence wore off—which a pleasant surprise for Regina but an unpleasant one for Sergio.

Due to the lack of attention, he sat most of the day in some form of a pout. When Emilie opened his presents last and had the least exciting reaction to them, he gave a small smile but was clearly still annoyed. When she chose to sit next to Petra instead of him, he let out the tiniest noise of displeasure. For the entire day he acted like a slighted child and by dinner time Regina had had just about enough.

Iris and Camila offered to make dinner, so Regina and Petra took it upon themselves to entertain the children. Emilie sat next to Regina and simply observed her interactions with baby Rosalie but Sergio didn’t take it well. He pouted their way, though his expression was hidden enough for Emilie not to notice.Regina moved to say something when Emilie was called to the kitchen, but at the moment she moved to open her mouth, Zelena groaned.

“Oh my lord—get over yourself. You won’t die if you don’t receive adequate attention every two minutes. Jesus christ, I thought I was self centered—you take the cake sir.” She exclaimed with a vexed sigh. Regina held back a laugh at Sergio’s sour face.

He didn’t say a word during dinner and Zelena continued with her small anecdotes whenever his behavior veered into the childish. He left without complaint afterwards and Regina had never been so thankful for her sister’s sharp tongue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought it would be interesting to explore the effects Regina's marriage has on her relationship with men and their attraction to her. On one hand, I think she would have used their attraction to her as a tool to reestablish her own personal power in the enchanted forest, but now that her magic is not something she can use without extreme consequence she has to navigate that. This fic is almost done and I'm going to miss it. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what I'm going to do because I have Soooo many ideas for new fics that I'm excited to write but I still want to create a full narrative for this verse. I don't know. Thank you for reading!


	14. Remember Me Just Like This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I hope everyone is doing well! One more chapter!

The rest of the holiday season was much more pleasant than the first few days. Sergio seemed reluctant to go head to head with not only Zelena, but Petra as well—who, after seeing Zelena’s display, had taken upon herself to glare at him and make additional snide comments at every opportune moment. He didn’t come back for the post Christmas celebrations, nor did he appear for Henry’s arrival or New Years ,which was a blessing.Henry was taken with Regina’s new friends. Especially Iris. Everyone seemed to gravitate to her, whether it be the warmth in her doe like eyes, or the air of ease she gave off, or the way she seemed to make everyone feel at home. No matter which one of those options it was, the fact remained that Henry was infatuated. He seemed hesitant at first to meet his mother’s partners. She’d tried explaining exactly what they were to each other over the phone, but it didn’t seem to fully hit him until he saw them all together.

According to Zelena, they were incredibly affectionate with each other, subconsciously and consciously. They were almost constantly touching each other in some way or another and more than once Regina caught Henry watching them with a warm smile. After watching the ball drop, and the year officially change—he pulled her a side (once she’d dislodged herself from kissing both Petra and Iris of course) and gave her the smallest, but warmest smile.

He was much taller than her, even at 18, but Regina still only saw her little prince in his ‘grown’ features. “What’s wrong my little prince?”

“Nothing. I just… I’m really happy you’re happy. I….I didn’t think I’d be seeing you this happy for a really long time. You’re glowing mom.” His words seemed to get choked up in the middle of his sentence. His eyes were watery. His emerald eyes—Emma’s eyes. Just the thought of her name made Regina’s heart ache in a way that was all too familiar but also, much too annoying than it had any right to be. She shook it off. Right now was not the time to think about Emma. She was probably off with her husband and child, living the life she’d always dreamed of—the life that certainly did not include Regina or at the very least didn’t need her anymore.

Case in point, just as Regina had suspected, her absence had barely been noticed. A few calls to her old number when she’d first left and her good bye letter had been discovered,, but that was it. It was better this way. They both needed a clean break to move on and make something better of themselves. Or, at least Regina did. She cradled Henry’s face in her hands and gave him a watery smile.

“Thank you my love. I feel better than I have in years.” And her words were the truth. In this place, in the arms of Petra and Iris and in the company of Camila, Marcella, Eliza and the countless other friends she’d managed to make during her stay in France—Regina felt the most healthy and stable she had in a long time.

She knew there was still along way to go. But, for the first time in her life—Regina felt ready to make the journey that would no doubt be required to fix the countless pieces inside her that had been broken.

xxx

Regina went to Petra and Iris’ flat after Henry, Zelena and Rosalie returned to America. It had been hard to say goodbye, but Regina knew it was far from the last time she’d see her family in the new home she’d created. So, to distract herself from the pain of having to say goodbye for now, Iris proposed a weekend away in the flat. Petra still had a few days of personal time and she’d turned in her novel at the start of the new year, so they were all free.

Which explained their current position.

Regina hadn’t ever really spent an entire weekend in bed before. At least not like this. The closest she’d gotten were the few hours she’d had with Robin in front of the fireplace, the night his wife came back into his life. This was the first time she’d ever really indulged like this, and she was beginning to understand why couples made a point to lock the rest of the world out as often as possible. This was pure bliss.

A moan echoed around the room, so soft and high that it was almost impossible to believe that it was coming from Petra. On the outside she seemed to be such a hardened, untouchable figure. But once their clothes were on the floor and once they were lost in the most pleasurable of touches, she was a completely different being. Still similar in some respects, but in others completely different. She moaned again—her walls clenched around Regina’s two fingers and the brunette gave a hum of pleasure. Her makeup was probably smudged, her hair was probably a mess from the hands almost constantly running through it—but she didn’t care. She pressed deeper into Petra and curled her fingers. A wave of wetness greeted her, a reward for her efforts. Petra whimpered and tried to hide her face into the pillow. Regina tsked and gave a small growl. Her thumb rested on Petra’s clit and swirled just the way she knew the blonde would enjoy.

She arched her back. “ _Fuck._ That’s good. Please—don’t stop.”

“I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon dear.But I will go against my personal plans if you keep hiding your face from me.” As she spoke, she leaned down to deliver her words straight into Petra’s ear. Her tone was close to a growl, her voice lowering an octave and siphoning the sweetest flutter from Petra. She clutched the pillow but didn’t hide her face again. Even as Regina continued to thrust into her at a punishing rhythm. The sound of her sweet moans and whimpers made Regina dizzy. Then Iris returned from her scavenge of the closest. In the middle of a very important moment, a wave of inspiration struck the small woman. She’d launched herself off the bed and ran to the closet in search of something.

Petra hadn’t been able to give much information, considering she too had been busy. Iris seemed hesitant to return and interrupt at first, but when Regina turned to look at her—her gaze alight with desire—she scampered over. What looked to be a very expensive toy in her hand. Regina revolved not to comment on it until after Petra’s orgasms, which weren’t far off. With another twist of her wrist and a sudden but gentle bite to her clit—Petra was soaring. Two intense orgasms back to back. A rush of pride fell over Regina. When Iris cleared her throat though, the apprehension muddled it.

“Where the hell did you find that? I’ve been looking for it forever.” Petra questioned in a breathy tone.

“I hid it. I have a good reason though. I got it upgraded.I know a guy who knows a woman who added a few perks. I thought…well—stop me if this sounds unappealing—but I thought maybe Regina…if you want to…maybe you could use this on yourself. I always feel guilty getting to be fucked to my heart’s desire and not really being able reciprocate.”

“You do reciprocate.” Regina assured her, but she could hear the faltering tone in her voice. She knew it was hardly something she could hide forever—the more they’d been intimate, the more they’d noticed. Her orgasms were satisfactory and frequent, but never as overwhelming as Iris and Petra seemed to experience. Regina knew that on some level she was holding back. She was reserving a piece of herself just in case this didn’t work. Just in case she decided they didn’t want her anymore.

But hadn’t they proven themselves worthy? Every step of the way they had been nothing but supportive and caring. They’d taken her deepest darkest secrets and held them close without complaint. Would her revealing this aspect of herself—this facet that conflicted with the very worst of her trauma—-really make that much of a difference? Regina took in a deep breath. It was shaky at best.

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. It’s not by any means mandatory. It’s not by any means a make or break thing. I can toss this across the room and forget about it while I eat you out if that’s what you want.” Iris quickly assured. It was funny, watching her try to be reasonable and responsible whilst completely naked. She looked like Aphrodite, with her blonde hair landing in waves around her face, down her shoulders and right over her breasts. She looked so graceful, so sweet and enticing. It was hard to think, instead of giving into whatever it was she suggested.

Beside Regina, Petra too looked much like a goddess—Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war. She surely could see the warring emotions and experiences behind Regina’s eyes, but she did not judge. Her gaze was knowing, reassuring and fiercely protective.

Regina felt safe. So safe, it seemed almost too easy to give herself over to the suggestion and move past an imaginary boundary she’d created for herself. She gave a nod. “I want to try.”

For a few seconds, it seemed no-one had heard her. Then Iris gave a surprised gasp and Petra’s eyes widened. She pressed a hand to Regina’s hip and sat up the tiniest bit.

“Are you sure darling?” Petra questioned.

“I’m positive. I just… Can one of you hold me maybe? While I do it? I…I need one of you close in case…”

“Of course. How about you lay on your back, up against Petra and I lay at your side?” Iris suggested.

“That sounds perfect.”

It took little time to get everything set up, and before long Iris was handing over the toy. It was a standard vibrator, in a phallic shape of course, but it had ridges and an attachment for her clit that indicated it was much more expensive than the standard one. On top of that, Iris had said something about ‘enhancements’. When Regina was comfortable Petra’s arms, both of their legs spread to account for the space Regina would need, the brunette looked over at Iris with curiosity in her eyes.

“What enhancements have been added to this thing exactly?” She questioned. She let the toy fall between her hands, warming it.

“She fixed a few bugs—the vibrations are more consistent and more…powerful. I mean it was nice before, but it’s…better now. Trust me.”

Regina nodded and took in a deep breath and let out a sigh when Petra pressed a kiss to her neck. “Loosen up baby. You’re not about to walk the green mile, you’re just going to masturbate. That’s all.” 

Regina snorted. If only they knew that she knew exactly what it felt like to walk that damned green mile. But making a joke about her almost execution would ruin the mood. “You’re right. It’s—”

“—would it help if I licked you a little bit? I’d be more than happy to pamper you for as long as you needed.” Iris suggested, her eyelashes batting in a way Regina had learned meant she was getting eager. Regina swallowed.

“Are you sure?” She asked.“Of course. Open your legs some more my darling.” Iris commanded gently before settling herself between Regina’s thighs. She made quick work of Regina’s tension, with a few well placed licks and sucks, Regina was sighing in pleasure and practically writhing. When she’d brought Regina to the edge for a third time, she finally pulled away and looked up. Her gaze just as soft and caring as ever. “Do you want to try now?”

Regina nodded. In all honesty, she could feel her pussy clenching for something to hold onto. Her orgasms were always more intense with penetration, but she hadn’t felt in the right headspace to even attempt it—let alone let anyone else try it. A flashback seemed just a breath away most days, but she felt secure in Petra’s arms and under Iris’ gaze. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back towards Petra’s shoulder. The taller woman pressed a kiss to Regina’s neck. Her hands caressed her sides and played at her torso—not daring to touch her breasts. Regina whimpered.

“Touch my tits. Please.” She whined. Petra gave a shaky breath before taking Regina’s breasts into her hands. She knew exactly what to do now, and soon enough Regina was trembling with pleasure. When she could no longer wait, she shakily brought the toy to her core and pressed the lowest setting. It was low, but not low enough and it caused Regina to jump. The abrupt vibrations were off putting, but Iris’ hand on her hip steadied her.

“You’re alright baby. It just takes some getting used to. You can stop whenever you need to.” Iris assured. Her hand was resting on Regina’s hip bone, her eyes resting on Regina’s soaking wet pussy.She licked her lips.

“I know. But I don’t want to. Fuck, I just—I want it inside me. I miss the way it feels. The feeling of something side me—uungh.” Her head fell back as she brought the toy to her clit again. This time, it was less startling and much more pleasurable. She ramped up the vibrations and gave a high sob at the feeling. Regina could hear Iris’ heavy breathing and could feel Petra trembling at her back. The reminders of their presence and their support made it easy to take the first swipe at her entrance. The feeling made her weak in the knees, and she couldn’t resist just pressing the tip inside. A long, drawn out moan fell form her lips before she could stop it. Her hips tilted towards the toy and for the life of her she couldn’t pull it out. There was no way. It was impossible. If she did that, she’d die surely. Regina pressed deeper. Another moan fell from her lips and she paused. The fullness was jarring at first. It had been around two years since she’d last had a man, and this toy was larger than the average man. Not to mention it was fucking vibrating and scrambling her brains so much all she could do was tremble.

“It’s ok Regina. You’re ok. Do you want to take it out?” Iris questioned gently.

Regina gulped. “No. I wanna use it I just—it’s been a while. Hold my hand? Both of you?” She held out her non-occupied hand and melted when without question Petra and Iris took it. That made it easier. She pressed it further. Her pussy welcomed the toy, it eased its way deeper and deeper inside until her knuckle was pressing against her clit. Regina let out a noise practically indescribable as anything other than pure pleasure before pulling out almost all the way again.

She fucked herself slowly at first, then the speed seemed to come naturally. She planted her feet and fucked up against the toy—earning a whimper from Iris as she watched. Petra was practically drooling, though she kept a certain amount of awareness in her eyes that made Regina feel safe.

Before long, she was fucking herself fast and deep, mewling and crying out almost every second. The sound of her pleasure mixed with the lewd sounds of wet, slick skin and fucking filled the room. Her moans were nearly constant. Fuck, why did she think holding back from this was a good idea again? Shit—didn’t Iris say something about how good Petra was with a strap? What if this was her?

Her pussy clenched. Regina sped up the tiniest bit and relished the feeling of fullness and pure ecstasy that fell over her before it crescendoed into the best orgasm she’d had in years. Her back arched at a painful angle and she lost all sense of time and space.

xxx

When she opened her eyes again, the room was smoking.

Iris leapt up with a panicked yelp. Petra soon followed but Regina couldn’t move. A curtain across the room was singed with fire. Its twin was still on fire but with a flick of her wrist they both were extinguished. Iris and Petra froze. They looked back at her with confusion. Regina felt herself shrink under their gaze.

  
“…What?” Petra simply questioned.

“I…sometimes my magic gets a little bit out of control when I’m wound up like this. I’m so sorry. I haven’t lost control of it in years.” Regina raced to fix what had been damaged, but Iris practically pinned her to the bed and covered her in kisses. When Regina was allowed up for air, she was greeted with the warmest smile.

“You’re magnificent—you know that? Absolutely, positively magnificent. I didn’t realize you could do something like that here. I bet your magic is amazing. I am so lucky to have you in my life.” She gave Regina another kiss.

Regina blushed under her praise. Petra gave a tiny chuckle and climbed in the bed. “Iris is right. You are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met—outside of Iris of course…Will you show us more of your magic one day?”

Regina froze. She hadn’t thought they’d want to know more about her magic when she finally revealed it to them in person. Especially not when it had been revealed like this. She’d talked briefly about it before, but this was the first time she’d ever done something magical in front of them. And their reaction was far from what she’d expected. Iris seemed excited and Petra seemed intrigued.

“Are you sure you want to see more? It’s much more…up front. That was an accident but when it’s intentional I imagine it can be very intense.” Regina said.

“Yes! We’re certain. We’ve actually been thinking about it for a while. Maybe you can do a presentation of sorts at the house…If Camila is aware of course.” Petra suggested.

At the mention of Camila’s lack of knowledge about her past, Regina’s heart fell to the floor. Since Christmas, she’d been thinking of ways to tell Camila. None of the options she’d come up had seemed appropriate, so she’d held off. But now, at the mention of such a presentation Regina couldn’t help but wonder if it was time to revisit the idea. It was important for her to be as transparent with Camila and Emilie as possible. She’d learned the hard way how deception—especially in the long term—affected her relationships.

She’d learned the hard way, and was determined to do better this time around. She fell back onto the pillow and stared up at the ceiling.

“She doesn’t know yet…I’ve been fearful of telling her. I don’t want her to think of me differently. I…My past is not something I’m proud of. I came here to escape it, not bring it with me. Not linger on it once again.”

Iris leaned over and with a worried gaze caressed Regina’s growing curls. “I can understand that. The past—especially when it’s far from pleasant—can often times be pushed out of sight and out of mind. But it’s important for you to confront the past in order to move past it. You lived a life before coming here and thought it’s much different then what we’re accustomed to—and though it was dark and bleak and violent—it’s apart of you. If she can’t except it then she doesn’t deserve to have you in her life. But I know she will, because you two are the definition of platonic soulmates and there’s nothing that could possibly come between you two.” Iris assured. Her eyes soft, her words firm but comforting.

“You really think so?” Regina questioned, her voice small and unsure. Iris wrapped herself around the brunette and practically forced Regina’s head on her shoulder. Petra easily slipped behind Regina and pressed kisses to her shoulder blade.

“I am positive. And if she somehow, by some mysterious cosmetic mishap, does not accept you and runs for the hills—you have us. Always.”

The word always struck a chord in Regina. It brought tears to her eyes and made her giddy in a way she so rarely felt. Behind that word—that very serious, very important word—she felt delicate and helpless in the best way. “Always?” She whispered.

“Always.” Petra replied.

“We’ve been taking things slow but…I think it’s safe to say that we wouldn’t be this happy or this complete with you here with us. We were happy before but we’re purely unequivocally _balanced_ with you here. We may have our ups and downs, but I promise you that we’re here to the end of the road.” Iris said.

The sun was falling beyond the horizon as they spoke, casting golden light into the flat and nearly blinding them but Regina was already blinded by tears, so it didn’t much matter. “Do you mean it? Truly?”

“We do.” Both women said at the same time. So unapologetically sure that it made Regina melt. It took her a few minutes to gather the words, but she eventually got them out.

She cleared her throat. “I hope you know the same goes for the both of you. I…I love you. I’ll be here for you as well..Always.”

Her words brought tears to Petra’s eyes. Iris let her tears slip, and she pressed a kiss to Regina’s lips before responding in kind. “I love you too.”

“I too love you. More than words can properly express. It scares me as times, just how quickly i’ve fallen but…it feels right. And I won’t fight against it if it means I can have you both.”

“Good, because I won’t fight either.” Regina whispered.

As the sun fully fell away and left them in virtual darkness save for the shining moonlight they held fast to each other. Bare skin pressed to bare skin—no costumes, no pretenses, no standards. Just love. Regina felt ready to take on anything.

[My Tumblr](https://moonlitmidnight-1.tumblr.com)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I can't wait to share the final chapter of this fic. I think if I have any more ideas for Regina and her French family before the events of About Time I'll mark it in The Moments in Between. I want to take some time to really organize my ideas and fics so they're easy to find and read. Especially since I can't exactly leave my house right now. Stay safe everyone!


	15. The End is Only the Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally done! I hope you enjoy!

Regina had always been a planner. Even during her darkest, most impulsive phases some sort of plan went into play before she made any true moves. And revealing her past was no exception to that strategy.With Petra and Iris’ help, she managed to convince Camila to go away with her to an art exhibit on one of the weekends Sergio was to take Emilie. The plan was as follows:

First, they’d drive to the art exhibit Sunday morning. It didn’t start until that afternoon but the drive was long so they’d spend the time before the event out and about, enjoying each other’s company and hopefully reminding Camila of the reasons why she loved Regina and wanted her around.

Then they attend the exhibit, where hopefully they’d acquire a piece or two for the winery. Now that business was picking up, adding a few pieces would only be a positive addition. Regina just prayed she’d be able to see those pieces be installed in the business she’d invested so much in financial and emotionally.

They would go out to dinner next, then a movie.

Then finally—the revelation.

There was only one of two ways this ‘conclusion’ of sorts—since Regina really couldn’t imagine anything else life changing happening, at least not any time soon—could play out in Regina’s mind. Scenario 1: In which Camila would easily accept Regina and her past and the evidence provided and they’d move on or scenario 2: In which Camila would lose her ever loving mind and reject Regina completely. Maybe even going as far as to call the police.

In Regina’s mind there was no alternative. There was no middle ground. Camila would either love her or hate her by the end of the weekend.She’d either understand her to the deepest degree, or want to distance herself completely from Regina. She could see both scenarios playing out so vividly in her mind, and it was a nerve-racking experience.

She loved Camila and Emilie as if they were blood related to her—even more so, since those blood related to Regina often had a tendency to be a little bit crazier than the average person—and the thought of losing them made her want to vomit. But all she could do was wait. She could only hope that somewhere in Camila’s heart, she’d find it to forgive Regina for not telling her as soon as she was able and letting her live under the same roof as an evil dictator. A former one, but still.

“What happens if it doesn’t work?” Regina questioned into the phone for the first time out loud that day, but for ten thousandth time in her mind that day. Luckily, Iris and Petra seemed to understand her upset and her fear and didn’t begrudge her for it.

 _“The absolute worst case scenario is that she kicks you out of the house. In the event that happens—which it won’t—you’ll come to stay with us. You can either stay with us, or you can find another place to live. But I can assure you, Camila won’t do that. She loves you.”_ Petra assured her with a tone full of conviction.

She didn’t sound as frustrated as Regina expected her to sound, which was a blessing because if she felt as if she was inconveniencing her lovers she’d feel ten times worse than she already did. As it was, she was sitting in her room, back pressed up against the back board, knees brought up to her chest. It was Friday night, and she’d already packed a bag just in case she had a time limit in leaving the property on Sunday. Better safe than sorry.

“I’m sorry I’m asking. I don’t know what else to do. I feel like I’m just waiting or the other shoe to drop and I hate that feeling. I just…I want to go and tell her now but I don’t want this to end.”

“ _It won’t Regina. You are much more loved and much more of a gem than you realize. Camila would never disregard you because of the choices you made in the past—when you were hurting and traumatized.”_ Iris assured. At her words, Regina gave a slight sigh and pressed her chin to her knees. She wanted to cry, but would at least wait until they were off the phone.

 _“Do you want us to come over?”_ Iris asked. She was always so willing to be there for Regina, and it made Regina more and more emotional as time went on. Both women were so eager to be there and drop whatever they were doing for her. They constantly went out of their way to uplift and support Regina. And she hoped that in some way she was returning the favor.

“No I just…It’s nice to hear your voice and know that I can just…speak. I feel like I do this every two minutes. You should be well and trulytired of me by now.” Regina admitted with a tense chuckle.

 _“This is what we’re here for love. We’re here to support you.”_ Iris assured her. “ _On the topic of support…I hope this isn’t too far off topic but Marcella got back to me with a list of recommendations.”_ She slowly said. Regina sat up a tiny bit straighter at her words. In the spirit of transformation and in an attempt to try and help herself heal—Regina had asked Iris for recommendations on therapist. Realistically, she knew having the full experience of therapy—as her life was a little bit too ‘fantastic’ to admit to anyone she didn’t trust implicitly—was not on the table. But still, it would be useful for her to rearrange some details but tell her truth and get help for it. Maybe then she’d feel less broken.

“Who’d she recommend?” Regina asked after a moment’s hesitation. 

They went back and forth for a few minutes about mundane things, and the monotony of the conversation soothed Regina. She fell into a fitful sleep once the conversation was over, and spent the remainder of the weekend enjoying her time with Emilie and Camila. When Emilie was picked up by her father—who didn’t dare come into the house now. He stayed in his car and waited for Emilie to be escorted to his car by Camila.

xxx

By Sunday morning Regina had resolved not to overthink the rest of the days’ events and just enjoy herself until it was time. When the sun had just risen above the horizon, Regina woke slowly. She ambled down the stairs and made herself and Camila a cup of coffee as was tradition. Camila sluggishly made her way down the stairs a few minutes later and slumped onto the kitchen island’s stool. She groaned.

“As much as I’m looking forward to this outingI have to say waking up this early is complete and utter bullshit. I hate it.”

Regina chuckled. “You act like you don’t get up this early on a regular basis.”

“Because I don’t. Oh, thank god—you made coffee.” She nearly snatched the cup out of Regina’s hand and sucked it down in seconds. Regina watched with familiar fondness. Her heart was warm and tears prickled behind her eyes. What would it be like to live without this? To continue living her lifeafter knowing this beautiful soul? Camila had irrevocably changed Regina in ways she had not expected and it had been more than revolutionary. It wouldn’t be the first time Regina went through the separation process. She’d done it once before, but it had nearly destroyed her then. Emma hadn’t wanted her—and that was fine. She had every right to go about her life the way she saw fit, even if the choices she was making were only leading to unhappiness.

Regina had survived it once—but if Camila rejected her too, even if it was on awhole different level— would she be able to survive it again?

“Why are you staring at me?” Camila questioned suddenly with a quirk of her eyebrow. Regina rolled her eyes and pressed a tiny bit of coffee grounds to her chin.

“You’ve got something on your face. Such a messy creature you are—I don’t know why I put up with you.” Regina teased. Camila rolled her eyes and gave a snort. 

After finishing the coffee they got up, got dressed and were on their way. Regina put on a beautiful light brown wrap dress that went just under her knee. It was form fitting and beautifully cut. Camila wore a simple light blue long sleeved dress that hit right above her knee. It was looser than Reginas’ dress, but matched her eyes well.

The drive was uneventful and so was the exhibit. They found a piece of art suitable for the winery and invested in it. The chosen piece was simple, a foggy landscape with does and rabbits and a dozen other masterfully painted animals.The piece was covered in muted colors but it moved Regina. She shook through the entirety of their dinner. She was distracted throughout the movie.

When they were walking back to the car Camila stopped abruptly. She looked over at Regina. “You’ve been distracted all day. What’s going on?” She questioned quietly. She was twiddling her thumbs in a way Regina knew meant she was worried. She sighed.

“I have something important to tell you but I don’t know how you’re going to react to it. And that scares me.” Regina admitted quietly.

Camila quirked an eyebrow in confusion. “What do you mean? Is it really that bad?” She sounded as worried as she looked confused.

“It could be.”

Camila looked away for a moment and seemed to consider her words. Then she looked back down at Regina. “…Just tell me. I can handle it.”

“I don’t know if I can handle it.” Regina admitted, her voice almost as loud as a whisper. “Just…trust me. Give me until we get back to the house. I’ll tell you everything then, ok? I just…I need time to word it right. I thought I had it before we went out tonight, but it’s all been lost in the fear that’s been flooding me since we left the exhibit. Can you wait until then? For me? Please?” Camila gave a suspicious narrowing of her eyes but nodded. For an instant Regina felt terrible about making her wait, but when they got in the car and Camila took her hand firmly, as if to say ‘I’m here for you. I need you just as much as you need me’ Regina knew taking the time to form the words and give her best to Camila was the right choice.

She didn’t speak again until they were in the driveway of the house. The drive seemed longer this time around, but Regina knew it would have been cruel to drop the knowledge on Camila in the parking lot of a restaurant then expect her to hold her question—because surely Regina would once again fall apart after recalling her entire life’s story yet again—until they got to the house. Not to mention, Zelena’s ‘gift’s’ had arrived last night. The house would be the perfect place to show them off.

When they pulled into the driveway and switched the car off, Regina paused, She didn’t move to unlock the doors, and that was an indicator enough for Camila to know the conversation was about to begin. The taller woman took in a fortifying breath.

“If this is about Sergio—if he touched you or made you feel uncomfortable in any way I’ll burn him alive!” Camila’s words slowly turned into a growl, her fists clenching the black coat she’d been wearing earlier.

Regina rushed to assure her. “No! No it’s not. He didn’t—it’s not about that. This is about my life before I came to France. I…I’m not who you think I am. I’ve lead a life that would…give you nightmares. I can’t hide it from you any longer. I feel it’s important for you to know just who you’ve invited into your home. I’m sorry I haven’t fully told you the story.”

"You don’t have to apologize. From what I remember you offered to tell me the night we met and I refused. If you feel you’re comfortable enough to tell me now I’m honored to listen. I’ll do my best not to interrupt.” She turned on her hip and stared intently at Regina, her big eyes focusing entirely on Regina. It was a daunting experience—to try not to soften the potential blow of her words with what would inevitably be lies. But Camila deserved more. She deserved the truth.

So Regina gave it to her. As hard as it was, she forced the words out. “I…I lied to you. I didn’t live in Spain. I mean—-in a way I guess I did but it’s not the same. I came from…another world. One that resembled what you’d call fairytales. The movies you’ve watched, probably for Emilie’s sake, about magnificent worlds and seemingly impossible tales were as real to me as your experience in this world has been to you. I..was a queen. For a very long time. The husband I mentioned, he was the king before I had him killed because I just…I couldn’t live under his thumb for any longer. I would have tried to kill myself if I had had to deal with him and his needs for another year or so. But that’s…that’s only the beginning.” Regina gave a self deprecating smile. A tear fell down her cheek.

“Stop me if this sounds cliche but…I have a stepdaughter. Or had. I don’t know how that works now that her father is dead—but anyway she was inadvertently the reason I was forced to marry her father. As a result, I spent many years plotting revenge and eventually attempting to kill her. I hunted her for years, sent my huntsman after her, disguised myself to try and deceive her into poisoning herself. I…I killed so many people in my pursuit of revenge. All so I could feel like I’d actually done something to avenge the death of my first love.

God—it all seems to dramatic now. So trivial. But it was all I had. And I sent us to this world to destroy her life—in search of my happy ending I sent us here and so many things happened between then and now but…the most important part is that I was a horrible, violent person. I was..awful. and I couldn’t live with myself for any longer.I can understand if you want me to leave. For your sake and for Emilie’s. I’ve packed a bag so I can leave tonight. If you need more proof Zelena sent a few things I can show you. Just…be honest with me. I’d rather you tell me what you’re thinking now than pretend you’re fine hen you really aren’t. I’d rather leave now than think I can have this life only to be pushed out of it later down the line.”

To Regina’s dismay, Camila didn’t speak for a few moments. She simply looked at Regina, her mind processing the loads of information that had just been dumped on her. She blinked a few times before letting out a harsh breath through her nose. She chuckled.

“I…I don’t know what to say. I…I always had the feeling you were ‘otherworldly’ in a sense—you’re like a guardian angel, appearing when I needed you the most— but this was not what I was expecting.”

“Which part? The killing or the magic part?” Regina sarcastically asked before she could stop herself. It was habit at this point, to deflect with either anger or a sarcastic comment. Since she was not exactly inclined to take her anger at her past actions on Camila, she reverted to sarcasm .

“The magic part if I’m honest. I’ve always known you were dangerous. I saw the way you were clutching that butter knife when Sergio came to dinner. You were eyeing his jugular like it was the bullseye of a target…But really…is what you’re saying the truth? Are you playing me, or are you really telling me your past? I trust you Regina, and you know this, but I can’t reconcile the image of you—soft, vulnerable Regina—and this…ruthless queen.”

“I’m telling you the truth Camila…Come, I’ll show you. Maybe visual aide will help you paint the picture in your mind. As well as a few other…aides.” Regina said quietly.

They left the car in silence. Regina was trying to ignore the niggling chill climbing up her spine as she got closer and closer to the house. When they came in, went about the motions of taking off their coats, putting away the keys and slipping off their shoes, Regina led Camila to her bedroom. Petra had come in while they were gone and set everything up for them. One of her ornate gowns was on a mannequin in the corner. A few magical artifacts were on the bedside table. Regina swallowed at the sight of thee times in the space she’d come to consider to be her safe space.

Camila let out a gasp at the sight of the dress. It was one of the few Regina hadn’t worn anywhere other than inside the caste. It was low cut in the bust of course, full on the bottom. It was a dark sapphire blue, and embroidered with gems per usual. The collar was high and gold and the sleeves were 3/4. She took a cautious step forward and held her hand out as if to touch it. “Can I?”

“Yes. Of course. I brought it so you could feel it and see it as proof of my story.” Camila gave a small nod and pressed her hand to the material of the dress. Her hands shook.

“It’s gorgeous. What are the other things?” She asked, eyeing the items on the bedside table with curiosity and intrigue. Instead of attempting to explain what they were—because in all honesty, Regina didn’t know how to explain what is was. So she simply picked it up and twisted the appropriate knobs and rivets. A flash of light, then the room went dark and in place of the light was a nebula. It was breathtaking, and not something Regina had allowed herself to indulge in everyday—only on the days she needed comfort the most. Camila let out a gasp as the colors unfolded and danced in the air. On instinct, she reached up to touch it and to her surprise, as she cupped the light if shifted to her hand. It was tangible.

“Holy shit.” She whispered and Regina couldn’t help but let out a tiny chuckle. She’d forgotten how beautiful the gift of magic could seem to someone who hadn’t grown up with it, and someone who hadn’t had it’s presence twisted into something awful.

The second item was a dreamcatcher, and Regina knew already what was in it. She didn’t want to touch it, she didn’t want Camila to touch it but she knew the only way to truly give her all the information she needed. With a shaky hand Regina picked up the dreamcatcher and let out a sigh.

“If you want to see all of it, you can. I mean—you won’t see all of it but I’m sure Zelena put in the highlights.”

“Zelena can do this too?” Camila asked, wonder in her eyes.

“Yes. Zelena is from the same world I am. The entire town I was the mayor of is from that world.”

Camila let go of the nebula and took her hand off the dress carefully. She met Regina’s eyes, and the warmth in her gaze made Regina want to crumble. “Do you want me to see all of this? I can see it in your eyes. You’re even more afraid than you were before.” She observed.

“I don’t want you to see it—I won’t lie. I don’t want you to see what I did but I know you might feel the need to see it to believe it. And I’m willing to let you see it. If it will help you understand, I’ll put my pride aside.” It was hard to let the words come out, but she pushed herself past what was comfortable and tried to only thing about what would help Camila understand.

Camila looked down at the item and then looked up at Regina. “I believe you. Even without this, I believe you. You wouldn’t lie to me—I know that. Just as I wouldn’t lie to you. I…I want to see. I want it to feel as real to me as it does to you, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” 

“This process….this exposure will not ever be comfortable. But I don’t care. What’s most important to me is being honest with you. I don’t want to live in a lie anymore…Seeing you with Zelena and Rosalie and seeing you with them—seeing my two lives combine—made me realize how much I want to be open and honest with you. I don’t want to continue living in a lie. Having to hold back from telling you about parts of myself that don’t align with the story I’ve told is exhausting. I…I think it’s necessary for you to see it, unedited, unfiltered and true. But I can’t watch you watch it.I can’t. I’ll go downstairs and when you’re done you can come find me and tell me your decision.”

Regina took in a deep breath and moved to the door, but before she could fully exit Camila took her hand and pulled her into a hug. “I still love you. You’re still my best friend in the entire world. I need you not think this changes anything. If any changes occur, they will be positive. Ok?”

Regina could only nod, and as she went down the stairs into the kitchen—because she needed some sort of alcohol as soon as possible—her legs shook.

xxx

It took Camila twenty minutes to come down the stairs. Regina had gone through two glasses in that time, and though she was well on her way to being buzzed she was alert enough to see that the woman was distraught. Regina shot up and went to her, hands on her elbows to comfort as much as she could. But before she could say a word Camila wrapped her arms around Regina.

“I can’t believe you’ve gone through all of the and still manage to stay sane. I know this isn’t all there is to be seen. I know you’ve led a life that is full of way more experiences than the ones highlighted in that…video I guess I could call it. I..I don’t know what to say.” She whispered. Regina gulped at the sadness in her face.

“I can have my things out by the morning—

“—Why in the world would you do that?” Camila exclaimed.

“You…you want me to leave right? You saw it. You saw all I did—at least the main bits—and you don’t want me to stay. You’re crying because I should have told you earlier so you and Emilie wouldn’t have gotten so used to me being here. I’m sorry I—

  
“—Shut up. Just…shut up Regina. You’re wrong. I want you here. I need you here. As surprising as this revelation is, it changes nothing. It might take some getting used to, but I...I love you like a sister Regina. You've come from a different world than I have and there are different ways of doing things in that world I'm sure. I would never abandon you or force you out because of things you did over 30 years ago. Ok?" She forced Regina to look at her. When they locked eyes, Regina couldn't hold back the tears. She fell into Camila's arms and cried a few tears that had been waiting to fall. Relief filled her. Peace. She was so thankful. 

"Have you told Iris and Petra yet?" Camila asked after a few minutes. 

"I have but I haven't shown them the dreamcatcher. I plan on it thought I just...I thought it was important for you to see it because we live together and because of Emily." She admitted. 

"I appreciate that. I'm glad you told me." They stayed silent for a few moments. Simply holding each other and enjoying the comfort of touch until Camila cleared her throat.

"What is it?" Regina questioned.

"...Would it be wrong of me to ask if you could possibly make Sergio disappear with your magic? I know it might not be possible but I'll take anything I can get to be honest. He's so fucking annoying." Camila exclaimed with a dramatic sigh, Regina burst into laughter, tears of joy streaming down her face as Camila rambled on and no about the ways she wanted Regina to dispose of Sergio. 

It was amazing to hear the jokes and know that they were alright. 

And they would always be alright, because their friendship was strong and their bond was forever.

And Regina would forever be grateful to Sergio in some way, because without him she would have never found her happy ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was working on this all week oh my gosh! I'm so relieved but also sad this is over. But, their story isn't truly over. I'll still be posting one shots as often as I can and I already have ideas for new full length fics in this fandom and others. Thank you all so much for the support! Have a wonderful day!

**Author's Note:**

> All comments, questions, suggestions and constructive criticism are welcome! Thank you for reading!


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